Ceteris Paribus
by MidnightRosebud
Summary: Samurai sentai Shinkenger. AU A prince sold into servitude to serve a princess of his rival country. A princess who is more interested in the well-being of her country and people than the new "present" her father has bestowed upon her. What begins as apathy evolves into trust and then passion as two very different people discover that they're not so different after all. Mako/Takeru
1. Coming-of-Age

**Author's Notes:** I am attempting something a little crazy in writing several stories at once. I had two completely different story lines pop into my head at the exact same time and cannot seem to separate one from the other enough to write one at a time. Thus I will do my best to write two Shinkenger stories at once...should be interesting. As always, Constructive Criticism is always welcomed. :) Enjoy!

_Ceteris Paribus _is Latin for "all other things being equal."

This story is dedicated to all of those who have followed my Shinkenger stories since _Veneer_. I can't tell you how much it means to me that you've read and reviewed every single one and encouraged me to write more. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

_Disclaimer: I do not own Shinkenger or her characters. I simply borrow them for my own (and other's) amusement._

* * *

_**Ceteris Paribus**_

_Chapter One: Coming-of-Age_

"Welcome _princeling_," the guard sneered. "I hope you find the accommodations to your liking." He shoved his bound prisoner through the metal grating of the stone dungeon far below the palace. The prisoner stumbled, unable to use his bound hands and cobbled feet for balance. The guards that had escorted him to his new dwelling burst into raucous laughter.

"If you're lucky, someone will be down with some water and table scraps one day," another grinned maliciously.

"Enjoy your stay," the last guard mocked before they slammed the doors with an audible _clang_ and twisted the key in the lock. The trio made their way back up the hallway, leaving a single, dim torch behind that lit up nothing in the dark, cavernous space.

The man they had left behind took in his new surroundings with careful eyes, wincing at the movement as he finally allowed himself to feel the injuries he had received – both from battle and from the none-too-gentle handlings of his captors. He sunk wearily with a quiet hiss of pain against the far wall, leaning his head back against the cold stone.

_It will work_, he told himself. _It _has_ to work. If it doesn't…_ He shook his head. He couldn't allow himself to think of the possibilities of it _not_ working out. Then again, getting caught in the middle of battle hadn't _exactly_ been in the plan either. What could he do from inside here? What were _they_ going to do to him here? He dared not let his mind wander too far into that realm of possibilities. Better to leave lying nightmares alone until it was time to face them head on.

* * *

"_Mako!_" An exasperated voice called out. "Where are you?"

"Up here Kotoha," a patient and distracted voice called back from high up in a flowering tree, before the owner of the voice returned to her book.

"Mako!" The voice was now directly beneath her, torn between shock and amusement. "What are you doing up in that tree? _How_ did you get up in that tree?"

"I climbed," Mako replied simply.

Kotoha giggled in reply. "I'm aware of that! I just don't understand how you managed it in your dress."

Mako tucked a long, stray strand of dark hair behind her ear with a smile before she turned to look down at her sister, mischievous dark eyes meeting the nearly identical ones below her. "I may have shown more of my legs than was entirely appropriate," she confessed with a tease. Her younger sister's face was a perfect blend of shock and envy.

"What if someone had seen you?"

Mako shrugged. "If it had been a woman, I would have been told how scandalous I looked. Had it been a man, I would have questioned what he was doing here in the women's sanctuary to begin with."

Kotoha now had her hands on her hips, looking up at her older sister in an attempt at being stern. "You _do_ know that male servants of the other Ladies are allowed in here too."

Mako gave another shrug. "He wouldn't be able to do anything about it. You know they're not even allowed to speak, much less enter here unless their Lady gives them permission to."

Kotoha sighed in exasperation but her face was all smiles. "So are you going to come down or do I have to come up?"

Mako glanced around. "Where's Ryunosuke?"

Kotoha fidgeted.

"Did you ditch him again?"

Kotoha tried to look innocent as Mako burst into laughter.

"That poor man has been chasing after us trying to keep us in line since we were all kids together, and he is _still_so easily misled."

"_Hime!_"

Both girls turned at the call.

"Uh-oh, looks like we're about to be found," Mako grinned. Kotoha's smile matched her sister's. "Shall I climb down before he finds us or remain here?"

"I don't think he's received his daily heart attack yet," Kotoha answered back sweetly.

"Just what I was thinking."

"We're over here Ryunosuke!" Kotoha called, waving her arm until a tall, lanky young man with light brown hair spotted her and came running in her direction. A bright, metal medallion swung from his neck, showing all who glanced at it that he had been given special permission by a Lady to come and go as he pleased.

"_Hime!_" Ryunosuke exclaimed, leaning his hands on his knees to catch his breath. "Where did you go? I turned around and you were gone!"

"I went looking for Mako," Kotoha answered.

"Have you found her yet?" He asked, concern furrowing his brows.

"I'm right here Ryunosuke, stop worrying," Mako assured him.

"_Hime?_ Where are you?" Ryunosuke spun in a circle. "I hear you but I don't see you."

"Look up," Mako urged.

"What do you mean look up – _Hime!_ What are you doing in a tree?! _How _did you get in a tree?" He clutched at his heart in a panic.

"I climbed," Mako answered simply.

"_Why_ are you in a tree?" He asked with a tone stuck somewhere between exasperation and exhaustion.

"It's peaceful up here," she explained. "The flowers are beautiful and fragrant, and I don't have to worry about running into any of the other Court Ladies." Mako studied a delicate white blossom as she stated the last bit.

Ryunosuke and Kotoha exchanged knowing glances. They knew Mako couldn't stand most of the other Ladies in the sanctuary, full of their own self-importance, ridicule and gossip. Mako was different. She had an independent streak that led to "wild" ideas for a woman, and she had a kind and tender heart – the two didn't mix well with the games the other Ladies liked to play. She escaped any way she could.

"You need to come down," Ryunosuke insisted. "Today is your coming-of-age ceremony; we need to get you ready."

Mako scowled up at the sky. "What a pointless tradition," she muttered. "I don't _want_ it."

Kotoha and Ryunosuke sighed simultaneously; they had been through this argument with Mako countless times over the past year.

"It's what your father will expect of you," Ryunosuke tried to explain patiently but gently. "The entire court will."

"I'm tired of doing what's _expected_ of me," Mako muttered again rebelliously.

"Mako," Kotoha tried a different tactic. "If you don't come down soon, Ryunosuke could get in trouble." It wasn't a manipulative trick on Kotoha's part, only the bare truth. He had been assigned to look after the pair of princesses since they were born, a job he took very seriously. He cared for the two of them sincerely and they him but Ryunosuke wasn't royalty, he was merely a servant and could be punished severely should be fail to attend to his duties properly.

Mako sighed deeply. "Alright," she agreed softly before tucking her book into her silk bodice and maneuvering her body so as to climb back down and out of the tree.

Ryunosuke looked away with a faint flush when she moved to gather her skirts up above her ankles, trying to give her privacy and watch for any other watching eyes at the same time.

With a firm and agile grip, Mako slowly made her way down the tree's trunk and landed delicately on the grassy surface below her.

"Only you could make climbing out of a tree look graceful," Kotoha bemoaned in envy. "I would have fallen flat on my face, ripped my clothing and landed in a mud pile."

Mako gave her younger sister a one-armed hug. "I'll just have to teach you how to do it properly then."

"You will?" Kotoha's eyes lit up in excitement. "You promise?"

Behind them Ryunosuke let out a groan of torment. "Why do you two insist on doing this to me all the time?"

"It keeps you young," Mako teased over her shoulder.

"Or gives me gray hairs at a very young age," he muttered mutinously under his breath.

The sisters laughed in good humor, Ryunosuke finding it hard to cover his own answering smile. Had the two been anyone else, he could have had his tongue cut out for his comment. It was a sign of just how unique the pair of girls were in that place and Ryunosuke never had a day go by where he didn't marvel at his good fortune. The two were sweet, innocent and demanded nothing of him. If they needed something, it was a request and never an unreasonable one. He wondered sometimes what he must have done in a past life to receive such a gift for someone in his position. He smiled broadly and hurried ahead of them with renewed energy.

"Alright! Let's get you ready!"

Mako groaned. "I can't wait for this day to be over. The stiff ceremonies are bad enough to go through, but then the banquet and all the people…"

"Don't forget father's traditional present at the end of it," Kotoha chimed in.

Mako winced. "I've been trying very hard to forget."

Kotoha laid her head on her sister's shoulder in comfort as they continued to walk along the corridors, making way for Mako's personal rooms.

Ryunosuke glanced back at the two discreetly. He would do _anything_ to protect them, now and in the future. They deserved that and more.

* * *

"Wake-up swine!" A loud, rough voice rang out just before a bucket of freezing water was thrown on the prisoner's face.

The young man was startled out of the darkness of his dreamless sleep, wincing as it pulled at still healing wounds after the cold jolt to his system.

"Better make yourself look pretty," another man grinned spitefully. "You have a big, special day ahead of you."

The young man's mind raced at the possibilities. Some form of new torture? Would they kill him? A wave of muted whispers entered his hearings and he looked up between his matted hair to see the men bowing out of the way in subservience, making signs of honor as they did so. His eyes narrowed as a man wearing vastly rich clothing who walked with an air of self-importance appeared before them.

_The King_, his mind hissed to him, his eyes narrowing further in distaste.

The King stopped before the heavy metal grating, his penetrating eyes seeking out the prisoner beyond, assessing him from head to toe. "This is him then?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," one of the guards answered in humbled obedience. "This is the prince that was captured during battle."

The King studied the prisoner with a frown. "He'll have to do I expect. No doubt he has to be broken first before he can be trusted to do his job properly. See to it."

"With pleasure," the guard answered, sneaking a look of glee at the prisoner beyond.

The King nodded once. "I want it quick and efficient, I wish there had been more time but none of the others will suit her. Besides," a small, satisfied smile slithered across his face. "What better humiliation to our rival kingdom than to have their prince and heir becomes a bound slave to the First Princess of the Court?" He slid a glance at his prisoner in barely concealed delight before making his exit, the guards bowing reverently at his departure.

When the King had fully departed the guards looked at their prisoner. "You heard the King, time to get you ready for your new role in life."

"Hope you enjoyed your stay here. Where you're going, your titles will mean nothing. You'll be lower than the most common servant."

"Do you think being raised in his palace will have softened him too much for his new assignment?"

"Could have, but it'll make him all the softer in bed when she wishes him there."

The guards chortled at their lewd jokes, unconcerned about the affect it might have on their Princess's reputation. After all, what Court Lady _didn't_ enjoy the thrill of a night's ride? They had to learn all their techniques for their future husbands _somewhere_. Best to experiment with a worthless life that could be ended at the twitch of a finger than anyone of _real_ importance who couldn't be silenced.

The young man could do nothing but glare; he wouldn't give them the satisfaction of a vocal answer. He had remained stubbornly mute there this long, he wouldn't break his silence now.

One of the guards unlocked the metal grate as the others pulled out various instruments in glee. "Ready to learn how to be obedient?"

The young man braced himself mentally for his new "lessons."

* * *

Mako resisted the itch to escape the room. The incense and heat in the air was stifling, and the chanting seemed like it would never end.

She understood that her ceremony required a lot of pomp and circumstance as the First Princess of the Court – her mother being the First Consort to the King before she had passed away when Mako was still young. It didn't mean she had to _like_ it.

To everyone else she looked like the picture perfect essence of a First Princess, perfectly poised on her cushion, her head bowed at just the right angle as the priest recited the traditional phrases over her head. Her body was curved in exactly the correct position but managed to make it look graceful and easy as she neither twitched nor shifted throughout the entire ceremony. Only Mako knew how much her neck and shoulders ached from remaining in such a stiff position for so long. Or how much her knees screamed at her to move, the loss of blood in her lower limbs leaving them tingling.

Female servants had dressed her in the finest, softest materials and silks, the emerald and crimson colors accented by the fine gold trims. Her hair had been washed, dried, brushed and plaited in complicated designs piled upon her head before a delicate, sheer veil was placed over it all, pinned in place near her forehead before cascading down her back in what looked like fluid motion even in stillness. To say she looked stunning was an understatement. The court recognized this with awe, the court Ladies realized this with burning jealousy, but Mako herself just felt bored and antsy.

With an internal sigh of relief, Mako heard the priest finish his chanting and ask her to rise. She did so with a grace anyone would envy, even as Mako found it difficult to feel her legs from the blood loss. She forced a royal, elegant smile on her face as her father approached her with pride swelling from every surface of his being. She tried to look humble as he took her hand in his and presented her to the court. Mako stamped on the instinct to jerk her arm away, her flesh crawling at the sensation.

She couldn't stand – no – _hated_ her father with a rising passion. Most days she was almost able to succeed in forgetting who she _belonged_ to, though he never let any of them forget it. She, Kotoha, Ryunosuke, all of the court – the King _owned_ them until he said otherwise. Not much better could be said about the rest of the kingdom, they were largely forgotten until needed – a blessing and a curse.

Still, being the First Princess didn't mean much. She wasn't a man, so she couldn't inherit the kingdom. Her role in life was to look pretty and eventually be sold off to the highest bidder to be a wife to some nameless, faceless man she had never met before. If she was lucky, said man would ignore her after she gave him a son or two and then direct his attention to newer, younger wives or concubines. She didn't dare dream that she would ever find _love_ in a marriage. That word was all but forbidden in this place.

As the court applauded politely, Mako's father escorted her personally to the adjoining room where the banquet and celebration would be held. Mako had been through many a gala from the various ceremonies or court holdings before and knew the sequence of events by heart. Usually she could slip out unnoticed when just the right amount of wine had been consumed and no one would miss her presence. Unfortunately she would be required to stay throughout this feast until her father deemed it time to release her. She stifled a weary sigh. It would be a long night.

* * *

Mako worked not to tap her fingernails in agitation against the table. She sat demurely in the seat of honor as the revelers around her all but spilled off their cushions at the low-sitting table, most too drunk to care about decorum now. She would have given anything to at least be sitting next to Kotoha right now, but her younger sister was the daughter of a minor concubine – someone with such little importance on the royal food chain line that she would never be allowed to sit near Mako at an event as grand as this. It irritated Mako to no end.

Finally, her father called for the attention of the room. Mako sat straighter, the perfect picture of an obedient, humble daughter as he gave a speech about her, his pride, his kingdom, and eventually seguing into the victory they had scored in the last battle. Mako tuned it all out the moment he opened his mouth. For one, she was sick of hearing the propaganda on how "great" her kingdom was, how benevolent a ruler her father was, and how demonic the other kingdom was – one lie after another after another. She wasn't expected to really listen anyways; she was only a _woman_ after all. Besides, she already knew where to get the real story when she wanted to hear it.

The room erupted in cheers and calls to the health of the King and then her with a robustness that only those steeped in alcohol could provide and Mako took that as her cue that the speech was over. She tuned back in with immense gratitude to hear that she was finally being dismissed.

"And now, my daughter, I present to you a great gift. One befitting of the First Princess of our most beautiful kingdom," her father announced loudly as he drew her to her feet beside him.

Mako worked hard not to snort in derision. "Beautiful" it may have been once upon a time, but it only took a pair of eyes to see the true condition of her father's kingdom outside the palace walls.

Her eyes were drawn to the opposite end of the hall when the doors swung open and a small troop of guards entered, causing all those inside the banquet hall to talk excitedly amongst themselves.

"As is tradition for all the young maids of the court," her father continued, quieting the voices around the room in an instant. "I give to you your first personal slave to do with as you please."

Men around the room elbowed each other in knowing glances and women tittered behind fans or their hands. Mako felt her cheeks warm under the implications. She knew what the "traditional" gift was, knew what it was meant to imply, but being at the center of it made it all that much harder to swallow. The women of her kingdom were known for their skills in bed, not politics. What more could a man want?

"This slave is special, my beloved daughter," he persisted. Mako swallowed her bile at his attempts at endearment. "He is the prince of our greatest rival kingdom whom we captured in the last battle with our military might and prowess. Watch as he now bows before _us_!"

Mako knew the speech was for everyone else in the room, not for her. She was just the tool with which her father could proclaim more of his power and dominance. She pretended to be watching as the guards roughly shoved their prisoner to the ground to prostrate before the King, but instead her eyes were already searching out for her sister amongst the crowd.

"Thank you Father, for this lavish gift," she replied right on cue, not meaning a word of it. "I am humbled by your generosity." She dipped her head and body perfectly before rising once more when he ushered her back to her standing position at his side.

"Go," he commanded. "Take your prize and enjoy your evening in peace, my daughter. Your grace and beauty fills me with no end of pride – you will be most sought after by suitors. I'll have to make my selection carefully with your new skills." He winked audaciously, Mako flushing in anger but her father mistaking it for a maiden's blush. He laughed uproariously, along with his court before dismissing her with a wave of his hand.

Mako struggled to keep her anger off her face, safe behind her carefully schooled court mask for the moment, but feeling it slip the longer it took her to exit the room. She deliberately forgot all about her new "present" as she made her way for her sister who stood anxiously near the door.

When they were safely ensconced in Mako's personal rooms, Ryunosuke having checked every nook and cranny for other visitors, did Mako release her frustrations. She picked up a velvet pillow and threw it with all of her might against a wall.

"Curse him! Curse him to hell and back!"

"Mako," Kotoha approached her sister soothingly. "It's okay, it's over now."

Mako felt her cheeks flame from her anger and embarrassment. She breathed in deeply to steady herself, breathing out slowly and letting the tension fade. "I'm sorry Kotoha," she apologized.

Kotoha shook her head. "Don't be, you have every right to be frustrated. I know this isn't easy for you. You're different than the rest of them."

Mako embraced her sister in a hug, needing to feel the comfort of another. "So are you," she insisted. Kotoha's smile was bright.

"_Hime_," Ryunosuke's voice broke in reluctantly. "They're at the door, requesting to come in."

Mako scowled. "What I wouldn't give to refuse them in with their _gift_."

"You could you know," Kotoha told her. "You _are_ the First Princess. There are very few people who can force themselves in here uninvited."

"But if I don't, Father himself will come to see what is wrong," Mako sighed. "But thanks Kotoha." She gave her sister an affectionate kiss on the cheek. "Let's get this over with."

Kotoha stifled her giggles. Only Mako would go to meet a man who was to be "hers" with the same attitude as lying in a pig pen for a week. Arm in arm they walked into the front room and watched in stony silence as a few guards were granted entrance by Ryunosuke, the prisoner dragged behind them like cattle on a leash. Mako hoped that the guards would take her look of disgust as one for the prisoner himself and not the way he was being treated.

The guards bowed when they halted in front of her. "Your gift, your Highness, from your Father."

Mako nodded in acknowledgement, not trusting her words to not come out as a sharp retort.

The head guard of the escort looked over to see the prisoner still standing. "Bow you dog!" He kicked at the back of the knees of his prisoner, sending the man to his knees with a crack on the marble stone that had Mako wincing.

"Enough!" she called sternly.

The head guard looked at her in surprise from her tone.

"I can take it from here," she assured him with her court mask firmly in place. With a nod, the guards bowed out, leaving the room empty except for Mako, Kotoha, Ryunosuke and their new guest.

"Please," she insisted. "Rise." She studied her "gift," as he struggled to his feet, with a critical eye. He was taller than her, lean, but strong, his tattered clothing from his rough treatment not hiding this frame. His hair might have been dark, but it was so matted and filthy that it was hard to tell. His skin was covered in bruises and abrasions, obviously more "hospitality" from the dungeon guards, if the metal tether around his neck, connected by slim but strong chains that linked to iron wrist cuffs were any indication. His bangs hid most of his expression but she could see that his posture was dignified, his chin stubborn, and his eyes were dark and insightful even if they currently gazed straight ahead to stare at nothing.

She sighed. _What am I going to _do _with him?_

"Ryunosuke?" she called.

"Yes _Hime_."

She saw flash of something startle across the prisoner's expression before it was erased behind his composed mask of indifference once more. She eyed him closely for a moment before turning back to her friend. "Could you find something to take care of his injuries?"

"Yes _Hime_."

No flash this time.

"Let's find him something to eat as well. And maybe find another solution to those restraints." She frowned at the metal.

"Of course _Hime_. I'll see to it all right away."

Mako nodded as Ryunosuke made his exit, looking for all the right people. She tilted her head to the side, studying this new person in her rooms. When she took a step closer, Kotoha's hand grasped her sister's sleeve.

"Be careful Mako," Kotoha warned, unsure and nervous.

Mako gave her a reassuring smile before turning back to the young man before them. "Do you have a name?" She asked politely, gently.

He didn't answer. Nor did he even make a movement that he had heard her speak at all.

"I would like to know your name," Mako inquired, no demand behind her words, just simple curiosity. She frowned. Perhaps he was deaf? "Can you not hear me?" She started slightly when his eyes suddenly connected with hers.

Mako felt her heart pound and her breath still as she stared back unwaveringly into eyes that were dark with loathing. Adrenaline coursed through her limbs as the age old instinct to fight or flee clawed its way to the surface. She had never seen someone look at another with such unadulterated _hate_ before, much less directed at her. And against all common sense, those eyes drew her in, rather than repel her like they were meant to. She felt a ridiculous desire to want to get to _know_ him; find out what made him tick, hear the thoughts racing through his mind, watch that passion for animosity unleashed into physical form.

"Mako?" Kotoha's nervous voice sounded from behind her, breaking the spell and his eyes went blank once more. Mako felt as if she had awakened from a walking day dream and shook her head slightly to clear her thoughts and still the slight shaking of her limbs. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," Mako assured her in a quiet voice.

Ryunosuke chose that moment to re-enter the room, halting as he sensed a disturbance in the air. "Is everything okay, _Hime_?"

"Just a little tired from the day's excitements," she assured him. "What about…?" She waved her hand at the young man in front of her, not sure how to address him.

"It is being seen to, others will be here shortly." He bowed his head slightly in respect.

Mako nodded, still slightly distracted. "Good, that's good. We'll be content for the night then Ryunosuke." She grasped her sister's hand to lead her to their shared bedroom.

"You won't need any attendants again tonight _Hime_?"

Mako smiled at the familiarity of the continued joke that had gone on for years, she had always insisted she could take care of herself as much as possible. "No, thank you, we'll manage."

"What about….?"

Mako turned to see Ryunosuke waving his hand in the direction of the young man. "After he's been fed, cleaned, healed, and newly dressed try to find a spot…somewhere, for him to sleep. It looks like he needs it. We'll figure out the rest in the morning."

Ryunosuke nodded and wished the two princesses good-night with a reverent bow. Nobody was watching the young man, his eyes following their every move with intense suspicion mingled with curiosity.


	2. One Step at a Time

**Author's Note: **Another chapter up :) I hope that you enjoy the newest update. I am truly interested in your opinions on it as I'm unsure with how I feel about the way this chapter came out. Constructive Criticism is always welcomed. Enjoy!

And a happy "unofficial holiday" to all the American Football fans out there with their Super Bowl madness. XD

* * *

_**Ceteris Paribus**_

_Chapter Two: One Step at a Time_

When Mako emerged from her private sleeping room the next morning she gave an audible gasp, her hand jumping to her chest to still her pounding heart. She had forgotten all about her new "house guest" in her exhausted sleep.

"Mako? What is it? What's wrong?" Kotoha's concerned voice sounded from within the room, pulling up short before nearly crashing into her sister who stood just beyond the doorway.

"It's okay Kotoha, I just forgot about…him," Mako waved her hand in "his" direction, still unsure how to address him without a name.

Kotoha, still dressed for sleep, pulled her robes more firmly around her. "He certainly looks better than he did yesterday."

"Mmm," Mako agreed, eyeing her guest who stood at strict attention near the doorway leading into her front room. He had been washed and dressed properly in dark, fitting clothes that managed to hug his frame neatly while still remaining loose enough to be comfortable in the summer's heat. While nothing fancy, his long pants and long-sleeved tunic top weren't throw-away clothes either. He had been dressed for a servant of her station, something Mako noted with appreciation. She never understood why some of the other Court Ladies found it amusing that their slaves should go around in nothing more than their underclothes. It was demeaning and dehumanizing, and didn't reflect well on the Ladies themselves either.

Mako noted too that his wounds had been tended to, something she hoped would lead to faster healing and if they were very luck, no infections. His previous "care" and place of confinement weren't meant for their occupants to last long or comfortably. Her eyes narrowed shrewdly as she studied him closer, he was probably still too lean for his body type, but a couple more days of good food should fix that.

Ryunosuke chose that moment to enter the room. "Ah! _Hime!_ You're up already."

"Yes," Mako answered distractedly. She looked up to meet Ryunosuke's eyes with a nod of approval. "Much better." She frowned slightly. "But what about the restraints?"

Ryunosuke's brow was troubled. "It was the best I could do, _Hime_. They would go no further."

Mako studied the leather neck shackle that had replaced the iron one, and the lighter chains that connected the neck to the leather wrist cuffs. She sighed noisily, not happy with it, but knew Ryunosuke had truly tried his best. "I'll work on them about it later, thank you."

He nodded.

She steadied herself before daring to look up at his face again after last night. She felt a twinge of something go through her near her navel as she was finally able to clearly see his features. His dark, soft looking hair framed his face, one that screamed of noble lineage in its structure. She was startled to discover that she was being as intensely scrutinized by him as he was by her. Their eyes met briefly and she dared a soft smile, before breaking eye contact quickly so as not to be drawn in by his stare once again.

"Truly Ryunosuke, thank you."

Ryunosuke's smile was bright if not a little tight with stress from the new presence.

Mako turned back to her house guest. "Still no name this morning?"

When all she received was stony silence in reply she shrugged. "Your choice. Just don't be surprised if I come up with a new name you don't like later. I did give you a fair chance and I refuse to cause you by a pronoun for the rest of our time together."

She turned to Kotoha. "Are you going to lie back down for a few more hours?" Her little sister nodded, eyeing the stranger with a wary eye. "Go rest, I'll watch out for you."

Kotoha bit her lip, refraining from saying that it was _Mako_ she was concerned about. That her older sister's good nature might be taken advantage of by this stranger; that the man before them seemed to be hiding more than just his name from them. Instead, she let her sister urge her back into the safety and comfort of their room to try for a few more hours rest; she wasn't the early bird her sister was.

Mako shut the door gently behind her sister before turning back to Ryunosuke. "Has everyone had their fill this morning?"

"Yes, _Hime_. And your own dish will be along shortly."

Mako nodded in gratitude. "If you could, please bring something extra for our guest as well, please."

"_Hime_?"

"The guards aren't known for their hospitality; he could use a bit more nourishment right now. Especially in case he contracted any infections from his previous accommodations."

Ryunosuke nodded and exited to do as he was bid.

Mako watched him leave before warily turning to her guest. "You may sit, if you'd like."

His countenance didn't change.

Mako sighed. "Suit yourself, but I'm going to." She placed herself delicately down on a settee near the wall, just under an open window. When he made no move to budge Mako shrugged.

"I'll be honest," she began. "I don't know what to do with you. I have no intention of using you as my father and the rest of this court expects me to." She held up her hands in defense when his gaze finally met hers though no other move was made. "No offense on your honor, dishonor, or physical appeal, I'm just not interested. I have enough to worry about right now."

She watched him watch her for a quiet moment before continuing. "Everyone I invite into my personal life is there for a reason; they mean a great deal to me. I don't play games like the rest of this court. I tell you this because I don't trust you." Her gaze narrowed to emphasize her next points even as faint surprise entered his. "You were selected by my father and placed here. I didn't invite you in. He could be telling the truth, which I am inclined to believe in this particular situation for once, but his deceits are too numerous for me to dismiss so easily. If his words are true than you have lost much and I will do my best to ease what pain you'll allow me to. If this is a plot however, than I warn you now: touch _anyone _I care about, be it Kotoha, Ryunosuke or any of the servants under my care and I will make sure you live to regret it. Are we clear?"

His gaze never wavered from hers, his eyes holding hers steadily though he made no other movement or sound. She took this as his acquiescence and nodded. "Good. Then we understand one another." She moved to stand.

"Takeru."

Mako froze in place, her eyes swung to the only other person in the room. However, from the blank expression her wore, she would have sworn she was hearing voices in her own head before they came off his lips. He didn't say another word but watched her intently, almost warily. It took her a moment for her mind to piece the puzzle together and she smiled. "Takeru it is then. And I thank you," her smile was gentle and genuine.

Ryunosuke entered the room then with a couple of servants behind him, all dressed in similar dark colors. He halted and carefully studied the atmosphere, noting his princess's expression in confusion. "Is everything okay _Hime_?"

"Yes," Mako assured him brightly. "We have just determined a name for our new guest. Haven't we Takeru?"

Ryunosuke gave the smallest of starts, his eyes darting to the new presence in his princess's rooms in barely concealed shock. The young, dark-haired man made no move to even glance his way. "Is that so?" He tried for nonchalance in his inquiry. "Did you come up with the name yourself?"

Mako watched her guest and Ryunosuke both. "When I call him 'Takeru' he doesn't seem inclined to dislike the name," was her political answer, saying something without giving anything away.

Ryunosuke nodded in acceptance, breathing the quietest sighs of relief. "A name you heard from someone in the palace or from one of your books?"

Mako shrugged casually. "I heard it somewhere." She shot a quick smile to Takeru when Ryunosuke turned to check on the food preparations, and missed the slightest quirk of amusement on her guest's lips when she herself turned away.

"Where would you like to take your meal Princess?" A quiet, shy servant woman asked.

"I'll take here, if that's okay," Mako answered.

When the woman nodded and began setting out the dishes on the table Mako refrained from helping. She always found it silly that she couldn't serve herself, but after several servants insisted, more than once, that it truly was their genuine pleasure to serve her, Mako let the matter go. She thanked the servants as they left, noting that Ryunosuke seemed to be fidgeting.

"What's wrong?" she asked casually.

He started, forgetting sometimes how much she paid attention to those who should be "beneath" her status. "There's a new appointee in the kitchen," he explained. "I wanted to consult with him on your meal habits and introduce him to the rest of the staff."

Mako nodded. "Please," she insisted.

With a last, wary glance at the new addition to his princess's life, Ryunosuke made his exit once again.

Mako sat at the little table set in the corner of the room, reveling in the warmth of the sunshine as it filtered in from a high up window. "Sit," she encouraged her guest. "It's rather uncomfortable to eat standing like that."

He made no movements and Mako sighed gustily. "I thought I had made it apparent to you that I have no intentions towards you. I promise I have no hidden resolve to harm you, nor is the food laced with anything." She took a confident bite. "See?" she asked after chewing and swallowing politely. "Nothing." He watched her warily. "You need more nourishment, as I explained to Ryunosuke before. I know you heard it. You can pretend to hear nothing all you like but it's a lot harder to do than choosing to keep silent." She sighed. "You don't have to say anything if you do not wish." She indicated the chair across from her. "Please," she insisted.

* * *

Takeru watched her warily. Just what kind of First Princess of the Court, or whatever her title was, was this? What royal of this place _ever_ insisted that a servant, much less a slave, sit down as an equal and partake in her meal? Did she truly not care or was this part of a deception?

It was at that moment that his stomach betrayed him, giving an almighty growl of hunger.

He heard a beautiful peal of laughter fill the room and he glanced over at the princess. Her smile was not unkind.

"I surmised right," she stated simply. "Please," she offered again.

Against his better judgment, Takeru almost painfully slowly made his way across the room. With the greatest of reluctance, he sat gingerly in the seat across from her. She made no comment, obviously treating him like a reluctant child or wounded animal – something he noted wryly, that wasn't far from how he felt, but silently pushed a few choice dishes closer to his reach.

Reluctantly but knowing the logic behind her words, he extended his hands towards the closest dish. The clink of metal rubbing against each other had her stilling. He watched her carefully as she watched him bring a warm, fresh roll to his mouth. She frowned, a crease forming between her brows.

"I really need to talk to someone about those," she muttered more to herself than to him.

He was confused by her mannerisms. She had heard her father announce that he was the prince of her rival kingdom, now her personal slave, and she was more uncomfortable that he was in chains than not? Most court women would have made sure that his restraints were heavier and thicker, not lighter.

He noted that she finished eating quickly, most likely not eating her fill but pushing dishes closer to him without a second thought. Unfortunately his stomach was pleased at this, over-riding any suspicions he would have normally had.

She sat back and studied him with her piercing gaze; he did his best not to fidget under her scrutiny.

She sighed. "Just what _am_ I going to do with you?" she mumbled. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to have heard the question or not. She certainly didn't expect him to answer. "I'll have to talk to Ryunosuke and see if he has any ideas."

Takeru's ears pricked up at the suggestion. Would he be allowed out of the confinement of these rooms? Not that he minded exactly. They were a definite improvement upon his last quarters. He studied the young woman before him discreetly. And if he was being honest with himself, the company had certainly improved a great deal as well.

Sitting in the early morning light, her long dark hair seemed to shine. Her delicate features accented her petite figure, her every move graceful, almost poetic. Her eyes were gentle but sharply intelligent. Her face schooled into a mask in front of most others as he had witnessed at the banquet, but alive with animation in private. Her honesty that morning had startled him, and the fierceness with which she stated her words had struck a chord somewhere in him. She was so petite that he was almost positive a strong enough wind could bowl her over, but he had no doubt she'd use every last bit of strength to wreak hell on anyone that pushed her too far the wrong way. He had never had any intention to harm her, her sister or her friends intentionally, but her words did strengthen this decision.

He finished the food on the table before he knew it as he lay in his musings about the beautiful woman before him. He wasn't reading into her beauty, simply acknowledging it as a fact, he told himself. You'd have to be blind not to see it.

She appeared to be straight-forward, honest, and sincere. But he was no fool. He wouldn't blindly put his trust in anyone in _this _place so readily. Still, he figured it would be okay to keep an open mind about it at least.

* * *

When Ryunosuke re-entered the room it was to find Mako tucked back into her settee, reading. Her silent new guest was standing in almost the same exact spot he had been when Ryunosuke had first left the room. Ryunosuke quirked his eyebrow up in question but didn't put his curiosity into words.

"How was your meal _Hime_?" He asked.

"Excellent, thank you," Mako smiled up at him.

He inclined his head in acceptance.

Ryunosuke waved in a couple of servants to remove the used dishes, watching the entire process carefully. All was quiet except for the bustle or the occasional sound of a turned page until all quieted once more. When silence reigned again Mako spoke.

"Ryunosuke?"

"Yes _Hime._"

"What are we to do with him?"

"Who?" Ryunosuke asked, distracted in his thoughts.

"Takeru," she answered.

Ryunosuke did his best not to react to the name. "Do?" He asked intelligently.

Mako nodded, her cheeks faintly flushed, her eyes trained on the book in front of her but it was obvious she wasn't really reading.

"You know what your father expects…" Ryunosuke trailed off.

Mako's lip curled. "I know what he _expects_," she replied sardonically. "But I have no intentions of carrying out his new whim."

Ryunosuke stifled a sigh and shifted awkwardly, vastly uncomfortable to be having this conversation with the current room's occupants. "It's not just your father," he began.

"I care even less what the rest of the court thinks," Mako muttered mutinously.

"I understand _Hime_, but it's important to understand tradition and expectations so that you can fulfill the role you were born into."

Mako snorted in a un-lady-like fashion. "What role? To dress up like a pretty ornament and dance like a doll for whomever my father deems suitable for me to wed?"

Ryunosuke's expression fell slightly as watched her. Mako was one of those people who deserved so much more; he knew it with all his heart. But he also knew what was to come in the near future for her and couldn't deny that what she said was true. He tried a different tactic. "Your people expect –"

"I know what they expect Ryunosuke," her tone soft. "And they deserve better."

Ryunosuke opened his mouth to speak, glanced over at Takeru and quickly snapped his jaw shut. A weighted silence filled the room, all three members unintentionally tense from the conversation.

Mako kept her eyes firmly on her book, skimming without really taking anything in. Takeru, for his part, watched her, studying her with increasing curiosity. Ryunosuke watched them both, unsure or unable to say what he was thinking.


	3. Audacious Words

**Author's Notes: **So far it seems like most of my concern is only in my head, so onward with the next chapter. Let the intrigue begin ;D Hope you're ready for this adventure. I'm not sure if I am yet. Haha XD Constructive Criticism is always welcomed. Enjoy!

_Agnitio - Latin for "Knowledge" and "Recognition"_

* * *

_**Ceteris Paribus**_

_Chapter Three: __Audacious Words_

"_Hime_?"

"Yes, Ryunosuke," Mako responded, distracted.

"There is a request for a meeting with you."

"Hmm?" Mako looked up finally, pulled from her thoughts. She was currently playing a board game with Takeru. He still hadn't spoken a word to her since he had told her his name, and Ryunosuke hadn't been able to come up with anything for him to do so Mako had settled into a routine of engaging Takeru in the silent game of strategy - _Agnitio_. If what her father had proclaimed to the court was true – that Takeru was the prince of the rival country, captured in battle – then he had to have had military strategy training. With this train of thought she had finally convinced him to play the game, one that used smooth stone pieces in a challenge of wits.

Mako had always been astonishingly good at the game, only Ryunosuke had been able to best her about half the time and she suspected at times that he let her win to boost her confidence. Takeru, however, was under no such mindset. He gave her a true challenge with every round they played, and rather than feeling frustrated, she found herself excited to test herself against him with each new bout.

"The new cook," Ryunosuke elaborated, now that he was sure he had her attention this time. "He has made a request to meet you personally."

"Oh," Mako was taken aback for a moment. "Did he have a particular reason why?"

"I…forgot to ask," Ryunosuke hesitated. "I deeply apologize."

Mako smiled. "No need, I was simply curious." She took a moment to contemplate her decision. "Yes," she agreed slowly. "That would be fine. Should Kotoha…?"

"I've already checked him out thoroughly _Hime_. He holds no threat to you or your sister." Mako's eyes flicked to Takeru who was studying the board intently, searching for his next move. Ryunosuke caught and interpreted the look correctly. "He will hold his peace." Mako nodded, giving her final and firm assent before turning back to her game. Takeru had made his move and now it was Mako's turn to study the board, her eyes skimming over every piece's position and running through various strategies in her head.

She was so intent on the board that she missed Takeru's look as he watched her for a long moment before he met Ryunosuke's gaze momentarily. Something passed between them unspoken just before the man departed.

While they awaited the arrival of the new cook, the game continued and eventually Kotoha made her way out of the room, blurry-eyed. Mako paused in her strategy-making to smile brightly at her younger sister.

"How did you sleep?"

Kotoha nodded groggily that it had been "fine" – she wasn't the morning person Mako was. She'd get up early if need be, but she preferred to snuggle deeply whenever she could.

"We have a guest on his way here," Mako informed her.

Kotoha was instantly more awake. "Should I…?"

Mako shook her head. "Ryunosuke assured me all would be fine." She smiled teasingly. "But you _might_ want to change out of your sleepwear before he arrives."

Kotoha flushed brightly. She had finally grown accustomed to Takeru's presence in the mornings and had learned not to be as tense in his presence whenever she was around him, though it had awhile. She suspected she was relaxing because _he_ was finally learning to relax but kept her consul on the matter for now. Mako was solely determined to protect all those around her, and Kotoha had made it _her_ personal mission to protect her sister in return, in any way she could.

Mako's smile grew as her sister ducked back into their sleeping room in a flash. She was still smiling when she looked up at her strategy game rival, her grin making him blink rapidly.

By the time Ryunosuke returned, Kotoha had joined Mako and Takeru at the table and was watching the two of them with unabashed amazement.

"_Hime,_" Ryunosuke announced their presence and bowed. The young man with short dark hair who stood next to him shot Ryunosuke an indiscernible look before following in his example. Mako rose from her seat, Takeru following suit though Kotoha remained sitting. She knew Mako hated it when she did otherwise, they were sisters – equals – and Kotoha couldn't be happier for it.

"Please," Mako indicated that they should make themselves comfortable. "May I ask why you requested to see me….?" She trailed off in question.

"Genta," the young man replied with an enthusiasm that was catching. "Umemori Genta."

"Genta then," Mako smiled. "This is my sister Kotoha and this is Takeru," she introduced. She watched as Genta lowered his head in respect to Kotoha, but when he turned to Takeru there was a slight hesitation as if unsure what to do, his smile faltering for only a moment before he nodded curtly. Mako raised a brow but didn't question it, unsure if this was a normal reaction or not. Then again, she was rather unconventional herself. It unsettled people sometimes.

Genta broke his gaze away from Takeru who was staring determinedly at the _Agnitio _board in front of him as if studying his next move. He looked at Mako in all smiles. "I'd heard how much you appreciated my cooking and I wanted to thank you in person," he stated smoothly, covering his slight hesitation. Mako wondered if she was the only one who caught it or if she was just being paranoid.

"It truly is delicious," she complimented him.

"Thanks Princess," he grinned back at her genuinely. "Coming from you, that means a lot."

"Meaning?" Mako raised her brow delicately.

Genta shrugged. "As the First Princess of the Court, you hold a lot of sway over many decisions in the household court." He told her blatantly. "When the other Ladies make loud complaints, your compliments override their opinions." He shrugged again. "It helps me keep my job."

Mako blinked at his audacity, all eyes in the room on her, gauging her reaction. Suddenly Mako burst out laughing. "That's refreshing," she smiled. "It's rare to get someone who's so open and honest."

"That's what they tell me," Genta grinned cheekily back.

Mako's grin matched his, "I thank you."

"My pleasure," he assured her. His gaze fell upon the board on the table. "A strategy game?"

Mako glanced at the board, feeling her posture stiffen in response to the tone of disbelief in his question. "Yes," she stated evenly, her composed mask sliding into place. She wasn't going to explain herself or her decision to anyone. Those she trusted didn't need an explanation and everyone else she could care less about.

Genta raised his hands up defensively. "Sorry Princess," he apologized, instantly recognizing his mistake. "It's just that not too many women, much less royals, partake in games like these. Especially with…" he trailed off, unsure how to continue, his eyes sliding non-discreetly to her game partner.

"Takeru?" she prompted for the tongue-tied young man.

"Yes, with Takeru," he agreed, his gaze steady on her.

Mako studied him quietly for a long moment, enough to make the rest of the room's occupant's squirm, all except for Takeru who watched the exchange intently.

"You must have heard the rumors about me," Mako began, apologizing for nothing. "It shouldn't come as a surprise."

"That you're intelligent and don't play to the games of the court? Yes," Genta answered honestly. "That you sit with servants as equals and even play _Agnitio_ with them, especially when it's obvious you're _losing_ and not throwing a fit… It's unique to _this_ court." He held her gaze unwaveringly. "Those around you must care a great deal if _those_ rumors have yet to reach the other court Ladies, officials or the King."

Mako studied the man before her, seeing a keen, quick mind behind his dark eyes. "This is not the first court you have worked in." It was a statement, not a question.

Genta's grin widened, even as the others in the room stilled. "You're as quick as they say."

Mako accepted his words as the compliment they were meant to be with a nod but never took her eyes off him. It was silent enough to hear a pin drop as everyone waited with bated breath. Finally Mako sat back with a sigh, her fingers positioned in a steeple before her, her elbows resting on her chair's arms. "Genta," she began. "Tell me honestly, what do you plan to do here?"

"Cook," he answered simply. "I travel frequently," he shrugged. "That's how I improve my techniques. I have worked in courts, inns, and on the street as a vendor. That's no lie Princess."

Mako watched him – his gaze never faltered. Slowly she inclined her head in acknowledgement and the room relaxed almost as one. "Alright," she acquiesced. "I'll accept your answer for now so long as you can promise me that you have no intentions of harm toward me or mine."

"You're safe from me Princess," Genta told her. "That's not why I am here."

Mako nodded in consent, knowing he was dancing around something else, and really couldn't take his word as a promise but sensing no out right deceit in his answers. She would keep an eye on him but trust her instincts on this one all the same. She stood and the men in the room stood with her. "It has been an interesting meeting Genta." It was an obvious dismissal but she kept her cool mask in place. "I expect to see you more often."

"Are you going to be watching me now Princess?"

"Yes." Mako stated bluntly.

Genta's smile broadened. "Then I look forward to being in your presence again." He gave her a polite bow.

Without a word Mako met Ryunosuke's inquiring gaze and nodded slightly before taking Kotoha gently by the arm and directing her to their sleeping quarters. "If you'll excuse us," Mako inclined her head before shutting the door snuggly behind her.

The men were silent for a long moment, watching the door intently.

When they were sure the pair weren't going to reappear anytime soon Ryunosuke turned to glare at the man standing next to him.

For his part, Genta was grinning ear to ear. "Truly one of a kind," he stated in a low voice, making sure his voice didn't carry.

"Are you insane?" Ryunosuke muttered incredulously.

Genta shrugged. "No more than the average guy." His grin diminished as he turned to the other man in the room, and without warning he embraced him in a one-armed hug. "Glad to see you're alive and well Take-chan."

Takeru stole a glance at the closed door, shaking his head at his friend but unable to stop the small smile from making its appearance known on his face. "I've been fortunate," he admitted in a pitch that would not carry. "_Very_ fortunate."

Genta's eyes followed his friend's. "I'll say," he grinned.

Takeru glared at his friend as Ryunosuke rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"But seriously Take-chan, be careful," Genta warned, uncharacteristically stern. "She's sharp."

Takeru's smile grew minutely. "I know."

Genta studied his life-long friend with a smile that grew by the second. "This should be fun."

Ryunosuke buried his head in his hand with a groan. "You're going to get us all killed," he mumbled as Genta slapped his back good-naturedly.

"We'll be fine. It'll go off without a hitch!"

"Glad one of us is so positive about it." Ryunosuke muttered mutinously.

Takeru watched the door carefully. "How is –?"

"Fine," Genta answered, serious in a moment. "It'll _work_ Take-chan. How are things here?"

Takeru nodded. "No word or hint so far. Everything seems clear."

Genta nodded. "Good, I'll keep you posted as often as I can then." He frowned at the shackles around his friend. "I don't like the new additional hardware you've acquired while here."

"She's working on it," Takeru responded, his eyes flicking to the shut door again.

"She?" Genta's eyebrow rose.

Takeru nodded.

"Huh," Genta was taken aback. "Like I said, a true one-of-a-kind little Lady."

"She's anything but a 'little lady'," Ryunosuke grit. "She's the First Princess of the Court."

Genta shrugged. "My assessment still stands, even more so because of whom she's supposed to be."

"Who she _is_," Ryunosuke insisted.

Takeru held a hand up in silence, cutting the argument off. "Go," he whispered. The two nodded quickly, bowing out before making their hasty exit. Takeru returned to his previous seat and studied the board, pondering his next move. More than one game was at play here. And if he was reading the strategy right here, they might be ready for the next piece to be moved on the board.

* * *

"What do you think Kotoha?"

"He seemed honest to me."

Mako bit her thumbnail. "He's hiding something."

"Yes," Kotoha agreed. "I think so too, but Ryunosuke wouldn't allow someone in here if they meant us harm would he?"

Mako shook her head. "Not voluntarily." She paced the length of the room, the one place _no one_ was allowed without her express permission. She shook her head. "I can't puzzle him out. There were no lies in his words, but he wasn't telling us all of the truth either." She ceased her pacing and took her sister by the shoulders lightly but her eyes were tight with worry. "Promise me you'll be careful around him."

Kotoha nodded. "I promise."

Mako smiled before embracing her sister gently. "I suppose we have to go back out there now. It was rude to leave so abruptly."

"Given the circumstances, I don't think anyone minded," Kotoha insisted.

Mako shook her head with a smile, running her fingers through her sister's hair. "Takeru will be waiting for us to come back."

Kotoha bit her lip.

"What is it?" Mako prompted.

"Are you sure you can trust _him_?"

Mako's fingers ceased and she rested her forehead against her sister's. "No," she whispered. "And I'm growing unsure with more people with each passing day Kotoha." She sighed deeply. "It's exhausting."

"Isn't that normal in a royal court?"

Mako shook her head. "I don't know. I've never seen other courts. We're not allowed to leave the palace except when Father wishes it, and that's usually only granted to us after we've been married off." She sighed again. "I'm tired Kotoha."

"You can do this Mako."

"Do what, exactly?"

"You could rule!"

Mako made frantic motions to keep her sister's voice down. "That's treason," she whispered.

"You were born for this," Kotoha insisted, ignoring her sister's darted looks the door. "You're more capable of it than anyone else here!"

"Even you?" Mako asked wryly.

Kotoha nodded fervently. "I don't know the outside or our people. _You do._ And they know you too." She smiled encouragingly. "All the servants talk about you all the time, you know." She hugged her sister. "They all adore you." Mako smiled and returned the hug affectionately, needing to feel the comfort that only a loved one could provide.

"Thanks Kotoha," she whispered. "I just wish there was someone who could help us – _all _of us."

"Have you written another letter yet?"

Mako shook her head. "I haven't replied; I've only just broken the new code."

Kotoha nodded. "They can help," she insisted. "Ryunosuke was positive."

Mako agreed. "His information is rarely wrong."

"You know what you need?" Kotoha asked suddenly.

"What?"

"A man."

Mako stared at her sister incredulously before bursting out into laughter. "Where did _that_ idea come from?"

Kotoha shrugged nonchalantly. "I hear they're great for stress relief. Someone tall, dark and handsome. Someone who will light a fire in you from across the room with just his eyes alone."

Mako snorted in laughter. "And I think _you_ have read too many of the common folk's romance tales." She shook her head in exasperation. "What am I supposed to do with you?"

Kotoha giggled, catching Mako up in her mirth until they were both laughing so hard that tears formed in their eyes, the tension that had built up inside of them diminishing bit by bit.

"It would be great if he could help you rule," Kotoha added wistfully when her giggles had mostly settled. "As a true partner."

"Dare to dream Kotoha," Mako hugged her sister tightly in response. "Dare to dream."


	4. Crime and Punishment

**Author's Note: **Many of you seemed thrown for a loop by Ryunosuke's involvement in some still-as-of-yet unknown scheme. There are more twists and turns to come. I hope that I am able to surprise you several more times before this story reaches its conclusion. ;D It should be quite the fun ride. Enjoy! Constructive Criticism is always welcomed.

* * *

_**Ceteris Paribus**_

_Chapter __Four: Crime and Punishment_

Swift feet whispered along the smooth marble floor. The _swish_ of silken skirts made the barest of sounds as they moved. For her part, Kotoha hurried along the halls, anxious to get to her sister's rooms. They were the only place that she felt safe – safe to be herself and safe from all the other people who roamed inside the palace's walls. The fighting outside had only seemed to increase dramatically with time and the resultant echo had magnified the dark shadows inside.

There had always been fighting, at least as far back as Kotoha could remember. According to her sister, however, their country had once been large and in a state of relative peace for nearly two hundred years! Then the death of a King and no heir to the throne had resulted in a giant upheaval. A nephew to the deceased King and a distant cousin both waged war for the "right" to claim the throne. What had resulted was the once great kingdom being split in two straight down the center – East and West.

Both kingdoms resided in the large desert that had once been a united kingdom. However the East side, now called Pluvia, was located along fertile grasslands and rivers along its far eastern border, giving the country prosperity and health. The West side, Kotoha and Mako's kingdom of Aduro, was surrounded by impregnable mountains that stole all the rains and selfishly kept them for themselves. As a result, the sand of Aduro was bad for agriculture, leading to an ever-increasing problem for their nation that the line of Kings had yet to fix or even bother to see. Aduro's Kings were too interested in their wars against Pluvia as they tried to gain back their "stolen" territory. The civil war between the two kingdoms of Pluvia and Aduro had only grown with time. Perhaps this was in part because of the desperate need of the people from Aduro who now believed that if they could just win Pluvia for their King, the prosperity and health of the other kingdom would be shared with them as well.

But then Pluvia had requested aid in the fighting from their border nation of Caelestis Via. Now Aduro's current state was worse than ever. Outside the palace walls were terror, hunger, and desperation. The same could be found inside the palace walls as well, though the hunger was for power, the desperation for status, and the terror of being forsaken _to_ the outside.

Kotoha couldn't remember a time when there hadn't been fighting, when there hadn't been ploys and plots surrounding her from all sides since her birth. Mako couldn't either, but as First Princess of the Court, Mako was granted more power in the women's sanctuary than her. She was given privacy and respect that suited her status. Kotoha was a daughter of a minor concubine, one whose mother had died in childbirth, giving her no protection in this place.

She had been left to the servants to raise – no one wanted to take in child that wasn't theirs, though she had been raised as the princess she was supposed to be by birthright to the best of the ability of those who had taken her in. Mako had found her when they were still children. True to her clumsy nature, Kotoha had found a way to spill her bright red fruit drink all over a woman's pure white dress, one of the higher concubine's dresses of course. The Lady's anger still terrified Kotoha to think about even now. Fortunately Mako happened to have witnessed the entire event and had stepped in, making her own irritation at the Lady's reaction well-known. It made Kotoha giggle now when she thought about it – seeing Mako at half the height of the Lady, with her small fists planted firmly on her hips and round, childish face scowling up at such an intimidating figure that had backed down with great reluctance…but back down she had.

Kotoha still had her own rooms, as was required of her status, small though they were, but she rarely spent any time there at all. Ever since Mako and Kotoha had met, the two had been inseparable as they grew up together in Mako's private rooms under Ryunosuke's watchful eye. Every now and then though, Kotoha had to venture to her rooms to search for something she might have misplaced there. Usually Mako or Ryunosuke would accompany her, but today she had insisted she could go alone. It was a quick errand, one that she didn't want to bother their time with. Her venture had been a successful one; she was already on her way back. But as her eyes darted back and forth along the corridors, what had been a warm, sunny start to her day had left a chill racing down her spine.

Eyes watched her and her progression down the hall. Kotoha kept her head down, her eyes focused on the floor, clutching her sought after object in her hands. She could feel their stares on her as she moved, too afraid to run but too scared to walk demurely as she was supposed to.

Chuckles of foreboding mirth reached her ears and Kotoha's heart began to steadily beat faster until all she could hear was its loud pounding in her ears. She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that if she could just move fast enough, she'd be safe within the confines of her sister's quarters before she knew it.

She gasped audibly when a rough hand latched itself onto her shoulder.

Kotoha spun to see one of the guards leering down at her.

"Hello pretty little miss," he started, his eyes roving her features. "Why the rush?"

Kotoha clamped her arms tighter around her as she tried to back away slowly lest she trip over her own two feet and go sprawling.

"Aww, come on kitten," he continued. "Don't be like that. I know you women are quite the ferocious little tiger's in bed." His grin hid none of his intent as he fixed his hand around one of her wrists, trying to tug her closer. "Why don't you start your lessons a little _early_ with me."

Kotoha felt like she was frozen to the spot, unable to twitch a single muscle in retaliation. Her posture was so rigid that when another hand grabbed her shoulder from behind and yanked her away from the guard's touch, she would have fallen straight to the ground had not the person behind her caught her in their grip.

"Leave her alone," a masculine voice sounded from the person half-holding her up.

The guard sneered. "She was asking for it – offered her body and everything. What was I supposed to do?"

Kotoha could hear the scowl in his voice as the man behind her bit back. "I watched the entire thing _pig_. Try that lie again and I'll do more than just give you a verbal warning. Now I suggest you get back to your station." The authority in his voice left no room for arguments. The guard's look was black as he moved away with eyes that promised that this was far from over.

The man behind her gently settled Kotoha back onto her own two feet. "Are you okay?" he asked a little gruffly.

Kotoha turned to look at him, feeling a flush cover her cheeks as she noted his features. Honest, dark brown eyes that met hers squarely, light brown hair that was a little bit longer than her kingdom's normal style, fine facial features that balanced well with a stubborn jaw, and lips that looked as ready to crack a mischievous grin as they were to scowl. She nodded once her capacities had been returned to her. "Thank you," she said, a little breathlessly.

He looked torn between a smile and a stern face as he nodded back in acknowledgement.

"C-can I get your name?" Kotoha dared to venture, unsure if her rapidly beating heart was from her previous encounter with the guard who had held ill intent or the one who had rescued her and stood before her now.

The man before her regarded her silently for a long moment before he seemed to reach a decision. "Chiaki," he answered.

Her answering smile was swift, catching him off guard. "I'm Kotoha," she informed him. "Thank you Chiaki."

Chiaki coughed to cover his embarrassment, her smile nearly blinding him as he asked her if he could escort her to her destination.

"Please!"

He fell in step beside her and the two walked amicably along the corridors, Kotoha's fears having been completely erased while she walked beside him. When they paused in front of her destined rooms, Chiaki waited patiently beside her as she was admitted entrance. Once she was safe inside, Chiaki made to leave but was halted by Kotoha's voice as she stuttered over an explanation as to why her wrist contained an aggravated red mark. With a deep sigh, Chiaki stepped forward, just inside the rooms with a deep bow.

"She was attacked by a palace guard," he informed the room, feeling an icy hush fall over its inhabitants.

"May I ask your name?" a feminine voice, one filled with regal command reached his ears.

"Chiaki," he answered from his bowed position.

"Please, rise, Chiaki," the voice continued.

Chiaki looked up and felt his stomach lurch as he realized he was in the rooms of the First Princess of the Court.

Mako, for her part, was gingerly holding her sister's wrist, examining it thoroughly. "What happened?" she asked, her tone cool.

"I was on my way back," Kotoha began. "And then the guard – he just – I wasn't paying attention and –"

"He grabbed her, Princess," Chiaki continued when Kotoha became obviously flustered and upset. "He made his intentions clear, though she had given no sign to invite his attentions."

"And you just happened to be walking by?" Mako's brow was raised in question.

Chiaki was already shaking his head. "No. I was stationed just down the hall when I heard the commotion and went to investigate."

"This guard… Was it a rash decision?" Mako's tone was carefully neutral in her questioning.

"No Princess," Chiaki's mood soured quickly. "He was looking for trouble. I have no doubt he'd try again if given the opportunity."

"Do you think his attack was targeted towards my sister or was it simply equal opportunity for all?"

Chiaki shook his head. "I can't say for sure, but I would suggest that your sister doesn't walk about unattended again just in case."

Mako nodded, taking the information in. "Do you remember his face?"

Chiaki nodded. "Yes."

Mako studied Kotoha's wrist intently as she spoke. "We will deal with him momentarily then," her voice was soft with firmly controlled anger. Her eyes flashed back up to Chiaki's and he barely managed to control the urge to step back though her anger was not directed at him. She saw his reaction and she calmed herself, letting her features gentle. "I thank you for protecting my sister, Chiaki." Her gaze was intense but sincere and he flushed in response, mumbling to himself when he was unable to hold her gaze. "May I ask what I can do for you, to show my gratitude?"

There was a perceptible pause in which Chiaki's face was inscrutable as he thought. Mako watched him carefully.

"I would just like to request that your sister be watched," his voice was schooled, back to that of the trained guard. "It's not…safe for her to be wandering alone." His tone gave Mako pause, wondering at his daring to voice such a thought aloud.

"Most would say that it is safer inside the palace walls than without," she answered delicately back.

"The people who say that may not have to fight each other for daily survival on the streets, but there is more than one way to remove someone than physical violence or the threat of starvation." Chiaki's eyes met Mako's firmly. "They say that what happens inside these walls is far more subtle and targeted in regard to their victims."

The two watched each other silently for a long time, the rest of the room's occupants intent on the conversation.

"Ryunosuke?" Mako's voice was casual, hinting at nothing from the discussion. "If neither Kotoha nor Chiaki has any objections, please see to it that our new guest is assigned to watch over my sister personally."

"_H-Hime?_" Ryunosuke's tone was one of uncertainty.

"I like his mettle," she explained. "He speaks the truth where others would choose to ignore it…or all too easily entertain the ideas themselves." Her tone was wry. "His concern for her safety seems to level with our own, and it is past time that she has someone to watch over her when we are unable to. Today has shown me that."

Mako peered into her sister's face. "Is this okay with you?" Kotoha flushed but nodded. Mako smiled gently in return. "And how about you?" She addressed Chiaki once more. "If you have any doubts or objections, now is the time to voice them."

"Do I have a choice?" Chiaki's tone was mulish.

Mako's smile widened. "There is always a choice." Her gaze flickered to Takeru's who had been sitting as silently as ever at the table, _Agnitio _pieces scattered about the board. "I have no intention to bind the will of another."

Chiaki had caught her look and he studied the Princess before him, her tone, her body language, her interactions with those around her. He was silent for a long time. "I accept the position," he finally answered, bowing in respect.

Mako's smile was content. "Good, then it is done." She turned. "Ryunosuke?"

"I'll go with him and make the necessary arrangements now _Hime_."

Mako nodded. "Thank you."

With parting bows, Ryunosuke and Chiaki left the rooms. Mako waited until the doors shut behind them before hugging Kotoha to her so tightly that the smaller girl gasped in surprise from the sudden lack of air.

"Mako?"

Mako released her sister and fluttered her hands over Kotoha's hair and shoulders, checking for any other outward signs of the morning's events. "Are you okay? Did he touch you? I should have been there with you. I'm so sorry Kotoha."

Kotoha's smile was bright as she hugged her sister in return. "I'm fine Mako, _really_. It's just my wrist, I promise. Chiaki stopped that guard from doing anything more."

Mako's eyes flashed darkly. "Yes, this guard… I'll deal with him as soon as the two get back."

Kotoha's eyes were wide. She'd seen Mako angry before, but her sister's tone was now dangerous. "What are you going to do?"

Mako sighed deeply, hugging her sister to her tightly and stroking her hand through her hair, calming them both. "Don't worry, Kotoha. I'm just going to see him dismissed from his current position, and ensure that his next job placement is one in which he'll be kept so occupied that he won't have the time to harass women."

"What happened to not wanting to 'bind anyone against their will'?" Kotoha's tone was curious.

Mako smiled cryptically. "It is a warning," she answered. "So that no others ever attempt such a stunt again. I may not be so lenient next time." Her tone held a promise in its depths.

Kotoha watched her sister as Mako called for someone to attend to her wrist. She knew Mako had the power to have the man destroyed or killed, if such was her whim. Mako had been more than fair, but Kotoha wondered if that man would see it the same way. She felt a chill creep up her spine at the thought and she bit her lip as she watched Mako gracefully settle back down in her seat across from her court-appointed slave and continue their silent game. Kotoha sat gingerly nearby, studying not the board game but its players, particularly the one her sister had chosen to call "Takeru."

So many new people seemed to be entering her and her sister's lives as of late. Kotoha couldn't help but wonder if this was a sign of things to come – for good or for worse.


	5. Cracking the Mask

**Author's Notes: **Never understood the point of only updating once a week or so, if I have the chapter ready, why not post it up? No good reason for it to collect dust (metaphorically speaking), right? So, without further ado, onto the next chapter! I have a sneaking feeling you'll rather enjoy this one. Or so I hope. XD Constructive Criticism is always welcomed.

* * *

_**Ceteris Paribus**_

_Chapter __Five: Cracking the Mask_

Takeru kept his attentions fixed to the board, the latest development having given him a lot to think about.

Mako's concern for her sister was genuine, something he no longer doubted, if he had had any to begin with. He admired her controlled anger. He was no slouch when it came to masking his true feelings, but he wasn't entirely sure he'd be able to think as calmly as Mako had had it been _his_ little sister who had been nearly attacked by another man. His brows furrowed in ire just thinking about it.

"Have I stumped you at last?"

Takeru looked up at his playing partner, smoothing out his features as he did so. She had gotten quicker at catching the nuances in his facial and body expressions, reading them as if he were voicing his thoughts out loud. Fortunately, this time, she had read his frustration as part of the board game and not his true thoughts. He'd be in trouble the day she could read _those_.

When he simply looked back at her with his mask more firmly in place, Mako's teasing smile faded slightly and she looked away silently as if remembering something she had forgotten. It was times like these, times when her carefully poised façade so resembled his own that he had to work his hardest to seem disinterested, to not break his vow of silence toward her or anyone else in this place and ask what was going on in her head, what thoughts raced behind such sharp, intelligent eyes.

"_Hime_," Ryunosuke's voice sounded urgently as he re-entered Mako's rooms alone, noting that Kotoha must have been resting quietly in Mako's innermost quarters, leaving Mako and Takeru alone in the room.

"Where is Chiaki?" she inquired, her eyes not leaving the board.

"Carrying out your will for the former-guard," Ryunosuke informed her at once. "But – _Hime_ are you sure it's…_wise_ to allow this new person so close to you and your sister?"

"I have every faith that you will inquire as far into his background as is humanly possible Ryunosuke, just as you have always done," she stated simply before moving her chosen piece and finally looking up at the poor flustered man. "I realize it seems like a rash decision, but he _did_ protect Kotoha, whatever his actual intentions."

"What if this is all some kind of ploy by one of the other Ladies, or even your father?" Ryunosuke's eyes darted about as he kept his tone low. "You have to be _careful_ about whom you trust _Hime_."

Mako leaned back in her seat, tucking her legs up on the seat. "I am all too aware Ryunosuke, I assure you," her tone was quiet. "But would it not be better to keep him close, so as to better keep an eye on him than allow him to wander unchecked in the halls, if that is indeed the case?" Her eyes were steady as she watched Ryunosuke pause and consider her question. "If he is genuine in his intentions, than all the better for us – and for Kotoha."

"_Hime_?"

Mako's smile was mysterious. "Neither party objected to the idea in the slightest. Chiaki's only hesitation was that this new position was forced rather than voluntary." She heard the unmistakable sound of an _Agnitio_ piece having been moved on the board and redirected her gaze. Her smile grew at what she saw. "I believe I shall keep a close eye on this newly budding situation, and judge for myself whether I have seen what I believe I see."

She moved her piece on the board with a knowing grin. "I do believe I win this round," she told her playing partner, leaving Takeru blinking rapidly at the board and Ryunosuke still trying to puzzle out his princess's enigmatic statement.

* * *

"Hey, not so far ahead," Chiaki's voice sounded, making Kotoha's smile widen as she slowed her pace even more to allow her new personal shadow the chance to catch up. "Do you always walk so fast?"

Kotoha shrugged. "It's a force of habit," she admitted.

Chiaki sighed vocally. "I promised your sister that I'd watch out for you; no one will bother you while I'm around."

Kotoha's smile grew as she watched the grumpy-appearing man walking beside her. She had discovered that when he was rarely as aggravated as he sounded. He liked to put on a tough show, especially when he was embarrassed, and for reasons she could not fathom, Kotoha found it not only highly amusing but endearing as well. She _liked_ getting him flustered and tongue-tied. She had also discovered that he was quite the prankster and seemed at no lack for keeping himself entertained, making Kotoha laugh constantly at his antics.

Chiaki stole a glance over at his charge and felt that frustrating flush creep across his cheeks when he caught her eyes dancing as she watched him. "I've been wondering…"

"Yes?"

"What's with that quiet guy in your sister's rooms?"

Kotoha looked confused. "You mean Takeru?"

Chiaki blinked at the name but pressed on. "The one who plays that board game with her all the time but never says a word."

Kotoha nodded. "That's Takeru."

Chiaki bit back a sigh. "Sure, Takeru. But who _is_ he?"

"Haven't you been working here since before my sister's coming-of-age ceremony?" Kotoha looked genuinely puzzled.

"Yes, but I wasn't exactly invited to the show," he answered her. "I was assigned to some other part of the palace at the time. I had only been recently promoted before your sister gave me my new position."

Kotoha took the information in with a nod. "But surely you know about the traditional 'gift' our father bestows upon his daughters when they come of age?"

Chiaki scowled. "What? You mean a sex slave?" His eyes widened and he nearly tripped over his own two feet. "You mean Takeru's a sex slave!?"

Kotoha burst out laughing at Chiaki's incredulous expression. "I'm sure that was – is our father's intent," she nodded. "Takeru's supposedly the prince of one of the rival kingdoms, and this is Father's way of humiliating him, demoralizing Takeru's home country, and showing off Father's own superiority and power." She shrugged. "Mako's not entirely convinced that our father is even telling the truth about Takeru's identity though she's inclined to believe him…_this_ time."

"This time?"

Kotoha shrugged again. "Father isn't known for his honesty unless he has something to gain from it. Seeing as Takeru's situation would give Father nothing but increased advantage, no matter which way you look at it, it's less likely to be a lie." Her brows knit together in concentration as she recalled an earlier conversation with her sister. "Mako's doubt only stems from the fact that Father only _hopes_ that Takeru is who he says he is…well, who _others_ say he is, as according to Ryunosuke, Takeru has never spoken a word from the moment he was first captured in battle. Not even when he was…below." Her hand waved vaguely to the ground. Chiaki was quick to catch on to the direction of the dungeons and all that it implied.

"Why does your sister not believe Takeru is who he says he is? Or...whatever." Chiaki watched the innocent-eyed girl next to him.

"No one can _prove_ Takeru is who he's supposed to be, but they can't _disprove_ it either," Kotoha explained. "According to Ryunosuke, Takeru was wearing the colors of…" she frowned.

"_Ten no Michi?_"

Kotoha blinked rapidly at the strange word. "What?"

"Caelestis Via," Chiaki amended quickly. "It's the country Pluvia has allied itself with."

Kotoha frowned at Chiaki. "What was that word you said before?"

Chiaki cursed at himself internally, wanting to bite his tongue for his slip. "It's another name for Caelestis Via," he told her. "It's what they call their own country, in their language."

"Oh!" Kotoha's eyes lit up in surprise. "Do you know their language?"

"It's hard not to hear people yelling for their home country's honor when in battle," he answered her vaguely.

Kotoha nodded, accepting his reasonable response. "So you've seen battle then? You've been on the outside?" Her eyes were curious, not suspicious.

"…Yes." Chiaki's answer was curt.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Kotoha flustered, surprising Chiaki. "I'm sure you don't want to be reminded of that." She shuddered. "I can't imagine how horrifying it must be to be caught in the midst of battle. I know I wouldn't want to be reminded of it."

"I hope you don't have to see it," Chiaki's voice was soft as he looked down at the petite girl next to him, her naïveté spilling out of her like one of the palace's water fountains.

"Huh?" Kotoha looked up at him with confused, innocent eyes.

"I asked why your sister would doubt Takeru's identity if he was wearing Caelestis Via's colors," Chiaki answered quickly, covering his previous words, and stubbornly stamping down on the flush that was threatening to creep across his face again at her bright gaze fixed on his.

"Well," Kotoha bit her lip, trying to remember. "I suppose it's because Mako believes it could all be a ruse."

"A trick?" Chiaki watched her carefully, his shoulders tensing.

Kotoha nodded. "Anyone with intentions to harm our country could simply dress up someone in some country's colors and claim him to be royalty, couldn't they?" Kotoha questioned, missing the intent gaze her partner was directing at her. "At least, that's what Mako thinks." She shrugged. "I think Mako might be thinking too much about it, but she does have a point. This country, Caelestis Via, doesn't seem too eager to get their prince back if it's all true. They haven't exactly started charging down our doors to get him back."

"Maybe they've given him up as a lost cause," Chiaki's tone was weary.

Kotoha shook her head, her dark, unbound curls bouncing around her face beneath the sheer head veil she wore. "They _have_ to know he's alive," Kotoha argued back lightly. "Father has no qualms about grand displays of killings." Her eyes flickered to a wall and Chiaki knew she was thinking about the wall that lay on the outskirts of the city, one that contained the remains of traitors, enemies of the country, or just anyone who had displeased the King in some way and he needed to make a public statement about. "They would know if Father had killed him." Her voice was quiet.

Chiaki grimaced as his partner fell silent at the morbid subject. "So," he ventured to pull her mind from dark places. "Who do _you _think he is then?"

Kotoha blinked rapidly. "I'm not sure," she answered truthfully. "But I _do_ believe that he is not just a random civilian who was pulled off the street," she confided. "He is much too intelligent for that; he watches her too closely to be a normal man lucky enough to be given to my sister."

Chiaki snorted. "Lucky? You think a man who is forced into slavery is _lucky_?"

Kotoha shook her head. "No, but to end up in my sister's quarters…?" She looked at her companion shrewdly. "Can we call ourselves anything _but_ lucky?"

Chiaki grunted in reply, unwilling to comment on the question. Kotoha smiled brightly in return as the two walked along the halls.

* * *

Mako re-entered her main rooms as quietly as she had left them. All seemed to be as she had left them, Takeru reading quietly in one corner, Ryunosuke busy with his letters in another. Both men seemed to be largely ignoring each other, but Mako was glad to see that the original tension that had once filled the room upon Takeru's first arrival had lessened a great deal; she finally felt that she could breathe in the same space the two occupied.

She silently slid her finished letter underneath Ryunosuke's other papers, keeping her body well placed in between Takeru's line of sight and her movements. Only Kotoha and Ryunosuke were aware of her writings, and she preferred to keep it that way – the less people who knew about her plans, the safer they all were.

She turned to Takeru with a smile as Ryunosuke nonchalantly covered Mako's letter and buried it within his other work. "I see you've taken up my offer of reading," she commented lightly to the silent figure sitting in the opposite corner. "I'm glad."

Takeru glanced up at her briefly before returning to the book he was reading.

Mako stifled a sigh. She felt like she was talking to her walls sometimes – or like she wanted to hit her head on one of them whenever she received such an unresponsive movement. It frustrated her to no end that no matter how long he had been here, she could not get him to speak to her again. She would have thought him mute had he not spoken to her that one time, but even that had been a single word. Mako studied him out of the corner of her eye as she made to move toward her bookshelf herself. Sometimes she wondered if he simply spoke another language and so had difficulty following hers, but his reactions to her words were those of someone who understood clearly enough that she had dismissed this thought every time it came into her mind.

She perused her shelves with a sweep of her gaze, wondering which one would catch her eye today. A sudden rustle of movement sounded behind her as Ryunosuke gathered his work and stood up.

"I have some business to attend to _Hime_," he informed her. "I'll return shortly. If you need anything…"

Mako turned and nodded with a smile. "Thank you Ryunosuke."

He bowed in return before making his exit.

Mako glanced at Takeru quickly but he hadn't so much as twitched a finger. She sighed quietly. The two of them were alone in the room together and _still_ he contained himself within his own personal space. Not that she _blamed_ him, of course. She had made her intentions clear, that because of who her father _wanted_ Takeru to be, she had firmly drawn the line in the sand. It appeared that Takeru was of a similar mind, keeping his distance from her as she had requested. _Though_, she noted. _It seems to have relaxed him too. He's not as wary anymore. He doesn't watch us like a snake that's going to jump up and bite him the moment he closes his eyes. _She spotted a book on the topmost shelf and stretched herself on tiptoe to reach it. _That's something of a relief at least. I suppose it's progress, no matter how painstakingly slow._

Mako froze at the sudden shadow that rose behind her, whirling on the spot and nearly losing her balance before a hand shot out to catch her.

Two pairs of wide eyes watched each other in utter astonishment for several tense heartbeats.

Mako stared up at Takeru, completely aware of his nearness, feeling as if the summer desert's heat had arrived early and centered itself in her room. He was so close she could feel his body's warmth radiating from him, and an intoxicating scent that could only be his, wrap itself around her. His fingers seemed to burn the exposed skin of her upper arm where his hand rested after he caught her to steady her from her near-fall. His other arm was suspended above her head, leaving his face very near hers. She blinked rapidly, her heart pounding furiously from his proximity, unable to focus on anything else but her next breath.

Takeru's eyes never left hers as he slowly brought his arm down; showing Mako what was clutched in his hand.

Her eyes had trouble focusing on the object before her for a minute. Ever so slowly, her brain registered that it was the book she had been reaching for just moments before. Her hands felt like they were moving through water as she reached up to gently take the book from his hand, her fingers brushing his accidently and she felt a rush like electricity travel from her fingertips all the way down to her toes. "Thank you," she whispered, suddenly shy.

He nodded haltingly, watching in fascination as a delicate rose tint graced her cheeks. It wasn't until her eyes traveled to her arm that he realized he was still holding her. With a jerky motion he snapped his hand back to his side and she slid sideways to the far side of the room and settled herself on her favorite settee.

Mako immediately opened her book and buried her nose inside, her eyes fixed firmly on the pages.

Takeru swiftly returned to his seat and pulled his own book closer, stealing glances up at Mako every so often, trying to discern her thoughts. He hadn't _meant_ to get so close to her – to touch her. He had simply looked up to see her struggling to get a book and had thought nothing of the gesture to help her with it. He hadn't meant to startle her, but when she had nearly toppled over his body had just – _reacted_. Takeru reasoned with himself that it was natural to reach out and help someone when they were about to fall. _But then how come you didn't want to let go?_ A little voice in the back of his head asked.

He gazed blankly at the pages in front of him, seeing nothing but the scene replaying itself over and over again. _It was her scent_, he realized. _Something delicate and heady all at the same time._ It had drawn him in like a moth to a light. He looked at his hand, the one that had caught her and he felt her smooth, soft skin beneath his like a corporeal memory. He clenched his hand in his fist suddenly, trying to dispel the potent shadow from his head. There was a line he had drawn, one that he _refused_ to cross.

Too much was at stake to trip up now over some – some woman. _First Princess of the Court_, his mind reminded him. _The court of your enemy._ He nodded firmly in his mind. He needed to keep that thought fixed in his head, maintain the boundaries he had set when he had first been informed by the king that he would be nothing more than a _toy_ for his daughter's amusement. '_To do with as she pleased,_' the words echoed back at him from the grand banquet where he had first been introduced to her, humiliated in front of the king's entire court.

Even as he remembered the abject shame that had flooded through his system at the time, he glanced up at her now and felt the quietest of voices in his mind wonder if she too had felt the rush like fire that had flooded his system at their touch.

He returned his eyes to his book in a flash when he heard the doors to her rooms open and a set of footsteps enter. Takeru kept his gaze firmly fixed on the words, sweeping his eyes from side to side as if he were reading, but straining his ears for the slightest of sounds to fill him in on what was happening on the other side of the room.

He heard the footsteps pause.

"_Hime?_" Ryunosuke's voice carried to Takeru's ears. "Why is that book you're reading upside down?"

Takeru's eyes flashed across the room to see Mako's face flush the brightest of reds he had ever seen as she silently turned the book the right way up and kept her gaze fixated on the pages, her jaw set in refusal to answer.

For the first time in what felt like a very, very long time, Takeru felt the urge to smile. He stamped down on it firmly, lest he give away more than he could afford to lose, but had anyone been looking into his eyes at the moment, the mirth that filled them would have been apparent to even the blind.


	6. Game of Elimination

**Author's Note: **I tweaked this chapter left and right, and I think (hope) it finally flows right. I'm sure you'll let me know otherwise. XD Enjoy the latest installment as I brace myself for any in-coming missiles headed my way... Constructive Criticism is always welcomed!

* * *

_**Ceteris Paribus**_

_Chapter __Six: Game of Elimination _

What had initially begun as resentment at being in each other's presence had gradually evolved into a comfortable state of co-habitation. They had learned to live "around" each other, each one going about their day in a similar routine that kept them out of each other's hair, constantly on the periphery. Even though they played their strategy games, it was more of a _test_ of the other's aptitude, cunning, and daring that they enjoyed. In some ways, Mako had learned more about Takeru by playing a board game than her father's palace guards ever had by their more forcible means. In the same way was Takeru able to learn about Mako, discovering more about the breadth and depth of her mind than her sister or childhood attendant would ever be able to decipher.

The games were engaging, devouring time at a rapid pace that left neither at a wont for other entertainment.

The quiet times in between their games: reading, eating, sleeping, and the like, were peaceful if not still slightly guarded. Neither felt that they could truly relax their watch around the other, but they were no longer suspicious every single minute of every single day. It had come as a great relief to both when they had discovered this. With this realization, however, had come a bit of alarm. Why was trusted instinct urging to "let go" when a possible enemy was positioned just within hands reach?

Still, the sun and moon would rise and fall with each passing day. Time slipped by, creating a comforting pattern in their lives.

And then they had touched.

Not intentionally, of course. It had all happened too fast for either to make the conscious decision to make an active movement, but the touch _had_ happened. And with it had come new sensations that both were unprepared for, ambiances that had left them startled. Leaving them shaken out of the comfortable, the known.

Now they tiptoed around each other, questions bouncing around in their minds that seemed would go on forever unanswered.

She could not ask, he would not answer.

Their new, odd behavior did not go unnoticed. On the contrary, those close to them wracked their brains as to what could have changed the situation so suddenly, but they refused to comment on the subject.

It left the atmosphere between the pair charged, leaving those around them on edge.

Kotoha and Chiaki escaped it when they could by taking long walks around the women's inner sanctuary, delaying their returns as long as they could though neither ever openly stated this.

Ryunosuke and Genta, on the other hand, spent _more_ time with the two as they tried to decipher the quick, darted looks, the tense shoulders, or interpret the vague answers and their possible meanings. Both were determined to get to the bottom of the new situation; time would soon be running short and neither party could afford to have inconvenient conditions arise to meddle in their plans.

So when Takeru's hand moved to turn a page in his book, causing Mako to tense at the sound, Ryunosuke noted his charge's movement with both a watchful eye and an exasperated sigh.

"Is something bothering you _Hime_?"

Mako shook her head, her cheeks slightly flushed. "Not at all." She smiled brightly to cover her white lie. "Why do you ask?"

Ryunosuke opened his mouth to state the obvious, thought better of it and closed it shut again. "You've been…quiet lately," he hedged.

"Just thinking," Mako answered off-handedly.

Ryunosuke contemplated how much it would hurt his head if he slammed it down on the table in front of him in vexation. "I see," he answered instead. He briefly glanced over at Takeru, but the man was firmly engrossed in his book, or at least was doing his damnest to pretend to be. He knew it would do no good to even _try_ to ask him; Genta had already spoken with Ryunosuke and said he had about as much luck getting anything out of Takeru as Ryunosuke had with Mako, which meant zilch for either of them.

"Is there anything I can…_help_ you with?" Ryunosuke tried again.

Mako shook her head. "No, I think we are all set for now," she assured him.

This time Ryunosuke let out a quiet sigh, causing Mako to raise an eyebrow in question. "Then I'll be back shortly," he informed her, pretending not to see her inquiring gaze. "I have a quick errand to run. Should you need anything…"

Mako smiled though her expression was still puzzled. "I'll be sure to let you know."

With a respectful bow, Ryunosuke retreated from the room. He had every intention of finding the new, jovial cook to compare notes and see if they could come up with any creative ideas for handling the new situation. As he was about to exit, a quiet knock sounded at the door. He opened it to see a palace servant holding a tray in hand.

"_Hime?_" Ryunosuke called. "Your afternoon tea is here. Shall I…?"

Mako waved him off. "I can handle a few tea cups and kettle on my own," she teased.

Ryunosuke's mouth quirked up into an answering smile of his own, both recalling the story of one of the women in the sanctuary who refused to even lift her own glass to her mouth to drink from it lest she strain herself "unnecessarily." With a shake of his head Ryunosuke bowed out once more and disappeared down the hall.

Mako smiled and shook her head, watching the servant set down the tray and begin to arrange everything on her table. She itched to help but knew they preferred to be left to their work, and so set herself to peruse her bookshelf for a moment to keep herself busy.

A quiet jingling noise sounded from the corner of the room and Mako started slightly, her eyes darting to Takeru to see him silently turning the next page of his book. She inhaled deeply, muttering to herself soundlessly about how ridiculous she was being over the tiniest of things lately.

Ever since Mako's close encounter with Takeru, she had discovered that her awareness of him had sharpened to an alarming point. Every soft jingle of his chains or whisper of a page turning had her heart jumping into her throat, until she all but threw her hands up in frustration.

How was it even _possible_ to be so hyper-aware of a single human being?!

She was so wrapped up in her thoughts and mutterings that she didn't realize someone had approached her from behind until his silk chord was slipping over her head. She had a single heartbeat to wonder at the colorful flash of rope falling across her vision before it had instantly tightened around her neck.

Mako gasped, both in shock and the sudden desperate need to fill her lungs with air. Her fingers automatically seized at the offending cloth, but the silken chords slipped beneath her grasp, finding no purchase to slide her fingers underneath. The strength with which her assailant pulled on the chords had her dragging backwards across the floor, crushing her windpipe in the process.

Within seconds Mako's vision was spotting at the edges, and she knew with a sudden, perfect clarity that she would be unconscious or dead within moments if something didn't change drastically and _soon_. Her heart beat frantically in her chest from the panic that seized her limbs, drowning out nearly everything else but the sharp feeling of dread and slowing dawning horror. _Is this it? Is this as long as I get to live then?_

Inside the whirlwind of her panic, her ears pricked at a sound rarely heard before.

"Mako!"

She wondered, briefly, if it was a figment of her imagination or just the rush of blood pounding in her ears, distorting the sounds around her into creating what her mind wanted so desperately to hear.

"_Mako!_"

* * *

Ryunosuke was still smiling quietly to himself as he made his way down the hall, shaking his head at Mako's last comment. He was so lost in the memories of Mako and Kotoha's imitations of the woman when they had heard the story that he almost didn't see Genta until he nearly crashed into him.

"Hey! Watch it!" Genta called out as Ryunosuke halted so fast that he was swinging his arms to keep his balance so that he didn't fall face-first into the tray Genta was carrying.

"Sorry!" Ryunosuke rushed to apologize. "I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."

"Obviously," Genta remarked with a grin. "What's got you so wrapped up in your own head? That princess of yours giving you another fit of worrying?"

Ryunosuke's wry grin was unmistakable. "No more than the usual." His eyes darted around quickly, noting that they appeared to be alone before dropping his voice so low that Genta had to lean in to hear. "I was hoping you'd had any luck with her…_house guest_."

Genta shook his head, keeping his voice low in response. "Not yet, he hasn't spilled a work to me. You?"

Ryunosuke shook his head. "Nothing. She's being stubbornly tight-lipped about it, whatever _it_ is."

"Something obviously happened between the two."

"What do you think it could be?"

Genta shrugged. "With those two? It could be anything. I really don't have the slightest clue as to what has the two of them all riled up." He grinned impishly. "Do you think it's sexual tension?"

Ryunosuke choked suddenly, slapping his hand against his chest to clear his lungs. "_What?!_"

Genta burst out laughing. "Kidding! I'm only kidding!" He slapped his co-conspirator on the shoulder amiably. "Try not to be so up-tight."

Ryunosuke glared at the jovial young man. "We don't have _time_ for joking around."

Genta resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "If you're not having a little fun with life, you're not really living," he quipped. "But seriously, would it be _so_ terrible if your princess released some of her stress in a rather…_inviting_ way?"

Ryunosuke's glare was answer enough.

Genta sighed dramatically. "Too bad. It'd be good for Takeru to relieve some of that stress _he_ has built up lately."

"Are you suggesting that _Hime_ should be _sleeping around_ to – to relieve some _stress?_" Ryunosuke asked incredulously.

Genta could hear that he had stepped into dangerous territory by the tone of the other man's voice. He shifted the tray to one hand to hold the other up in a defensive gesture. "I'm just saying that they both have more stress than they really need, and that the tension between them seemed like it could possibly be heading in that direction. I never suggested the little Lady should be putting herself out there for anyone who wanted to take a shot at her."

Ryunosuke stood fuming on the spot.

Genta sighed. "What would be so terrible about the two of them getting together?" He asked in genuine curiosity.

"_You know why_," Ryunosuke hissed between gritted teeth.

Genta frowned, his brows creasing in the center. "No, I don't know actually. I don't see the harm in the two of them engaging in a little fun for a while."

"Because it wouldn't be for '_fun'_ with _Hime_," Ryunosuke answered tautly. "It's exactly what her father would _want_. I can't imagine _your_ –" he cut himself off mid-sentence with a wary glance around. "I can't imagine _others_ would be so happy about it either. His country, citizens or the _rest_ of the royal family wouldn't exactly _approve_ of a little 'fun' between them."

Genta paused, considering the other man's words. "You might be right." He shrugged. "But who are we to voice the opinions of others? Especially when they're not here to give voice to them." He grinned mischievously.

Ryunosuke wanted to throttle the man before him. Instead he took a deep breath to steady himself, trying desperately to calm his emotions and ask the heavens for patience. When he was sure he wouldn't react in uncharacteristic violence against the young man with the gigantic grin in front of him he opened his eyes and faced him again, his arms crossed over his chest just in case. The smirk was still there, mocking him, so he shifted his eyes elsewhere, noting the tray in Genta's arms once again.

"We can talk more later," Ryunosuke stated tensely but evenly. "I'm sure some Lady is getting impatient for her afternoon snack. They don't take kindly to having their refreshments the wrong temperature."

Genta looked down at the tray, almost startled to see it there. He had forgotten about it during their conversation. "Actually, I don't think she'll mind. She's usually pretty relaxed about a mistake or two here and there." When Ryunosuke looked at him questioningly, Genta elaborated. "It's for your princess. I would have brought it sooner but her original tray disappeared. We searched for it but it's like it vanished." He shrugged. "Or on its way to the wrong Lady, one who will probably beat the sorry person who dared to bring something she didn't request…" He trailed off when he caught Ryunosuke's expression. "Are you okay? I didn't mean to alarm you about one of your fellow workers getting an undeserved lashing but –"

"You're saying that this tray is for _Hime_?" Ryunosuke's eyes were wide with alarm.

"Yes," Genta answered, confused but feeling a warning tugging at his instincts. "Why?" He started when Ryunosuke let out a string of curses. "What's wrong?"

"_Hime_ –" Ryunosuke whispered before tearing off down the hall in the direction he had come.

Genta all but dropped the tray in the hall, just managing to set it off to the side for someone to find, before chasing down the other man. Watching Ryunosuke's face pale so rapidly had all the warning bells going off in Genta's mind, instinct telling him that something was very, _very_ wrong. "What is it? What happened?" He asked, firing off questions as they pelted down the halls.

"There was a man – a servant – carrying _Hime_'s tray into her rooms just as I was leaving," Ryunosuke managed between breaths. "But I didn't recognize him." He shook his head in anger at himself. "I thought he was new, or that the other, usual servants were too busy." He cursed at himself. "I was too distracted! I should have paid more attention!"

"What are you talking about?" Genta asked, still trying to understand what the alarm was about.

"Someone's going to try and hurt _Hime._"

"You don't know that for sure," Genta tried to reason, still keeping pace with the man beside him.

Ryunosuke shook his head. "It wouldn't be the first attempt on her life."

"How many has she had?!"

"More than I'd care to count," Ryunosuke muttered back, just loud enough for Genta to catch.

As they turned a corner, they flashed past a man and woman walking down the hall together, their heads turning as one as the pair ran past.

"Ryunosuke!" The young woman called out to them. "What's wrong?"

Ryunosuke paused only momentarily in his running. "There was a new man serving _Hime_, one I didn't recognize," he answered before immediately turning back around and continuing on as fast as he could.

"Mako," she whispered, her eyes going round in terror.

"Kotoha?" Her companion questioned in concern, watching as her features paled instantly. "What's going on?"

Kotoha's hands gripped Chiaki's forearms in alarm. "Someone's trying to hurt my sister." Her voice was tight with panic.

In a move that came as naturally to him as breathing air, Chiaki grasped Kotoha's hand and pulled her along behind him, racing after the two men without a second thought. Kotoha felt her heart skip a beat in surprise at his contact, but her feelings were quickly over-powered by the desperate need to get to her sister's side as quick as possible. She tried her best to match Chiaki's pace as they ran down the hall.

Chiaki glanced at Kotoha briefly, noting the pale but determined look on her face. He knew that she would have taken off running herself, him chasing after her, if he hadn't pulled her along. At least this way he'd be able to keep her in his sights until they figured out what was going on. His face colored lightly at the thought. He shook his head to dispel the paths his mind was trying to wander down. He would do that when he had the time. Right now he needed to focus on the situation in front of him.

Kotoha remained oblivious to Chiaki's look or the way his hand tightened around hers the closer they got to her sister's rooms. She bit her lip almost hard enough to bleed; praying to the heavens that they arrived in time.

* * *

Mako struggled frantically before a large force slammed into the assailant behind her, and she abruptly found herself sprawled out on the floor.

Her fall had loosened her assailant's grip on his strangle-hold, and Mako's body automatically gasped in a lung-full of air. She choked on the now almost over-abundant oxygen in the room and coughed violently, tears making their way down her face as she winced from the pain it caused her abused neck.

The voice called out to her again but her head spun too dizzily to make any sense of who was speaking or what they were even saying.

Over the sounds of her desperate breathing she eventually began to make out the sounds of a fight, her body automatically turning toward the source of danger it still felt present.

The table holding the tea fixings knocked over, porcelain pieces shattering on the ground and hot liquid spraying the two men who paid no heed to the pain.

With one hand on her neck and the other supporting her body, she could just make out the blurry outline of the two men fighting across the room, their shapes blurred by the tears that still streamed down her face.

They wrestled for control, crashing into the table that supported Mako and Takeru's current round of _Agnitio,_ sending rounded stones flying in every direction. They stumbled and fumbled across the floor, turning Mako's once pristine rooms into a hazardous mess of broken and up-turned debris.

Mako blinked rapidly, brushing a hand across her eyes before looking at the two directly. Her eyes widened in shock to see Takeru struggling with Mako's assailant, a burning anger filling his features. She could see that while Takeru was more skilled in the close hand-to-hand combat, he was limited by the chains that caught and held each of his powerful, precise moves.

Noting Takeru's struggles with sudden glee, the assailant yanked on the chains, sending Takeru crashing face forward into a chair.

"_Take –_" Mako gasped before coughing violently once more, her throat burning in protest.

Knowing that he had little time left to finish the deed, the assailant now pulled a dagger out of his inner tunic and approached Mako quickly. One quick thrust from the blade and his job would be complete.

Still trying to recover from her coughing fit, Mako heard the rapid footsteps too late to do more than throw her arms up uselessly in a last ditch effort at protecting herself. She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth, bracing herself for the blade's sharp bite, only to feel the substantial weight of something fall on her so heavily that it knocked her flat to the ground once more. The hiss of pain she heard, coupled with having what little air she had knocked back _out_ of her lungs had Mako's eyes popping open in a flash.

Startled brown eyes met with deep, dark ones so close to her face that their noses nearly brushed together.

She felt Takeru's solid body above her, the chains around his connected wrists pressing her down to the floor from their taut line across her chest as each hand braced himself on the floor, trying to keep as much of his weight off her as possible.

Their eyes stared into the other's for what felt like a single, endless moment, each trying to read what was written there before Takeru winced in pain, darting a glance at his left shoulder. Mako's eyes followed his, widening as they saw the long line of blood traveling from his shoulder to nearly his elbow where the sleeve had been shredded open from the blade, cutting a jagged line on the skin it had found underneath.

Movement above them had both heads turning upwards to see the assailant, having recovered from his shock at Takeru throwing himself atop Mako in protection, now poised to strike at them both with a knowing, victorious smile tracing his features.

Takeru's body tensed above hers, sending a look of death at the man above them. "Don't touch her," he warned, his voice quiet but full of promise.

Mako looked at the man hovering above her in complete and utter shock. "Takeru?" she whispered in astonishment.

Takeru glanced at her in the briefest of moments, reading the confusion and disbelief written there before his vision swam alarmingly. He shook his head to clear it, feeling his body fumbling for purchase on the ground beneath him as an almighty _crash_ startled all three of the room's occupants. Takeru was able to discern that help had finally arrived before his shaking muscles gave out beneath him and he landed heavily on top of the young princess below him. As he slid into the shadows of unconsciousness, his last thoughts were of how soft and warm the body beneath him was and how soothing the beat of her heart could be.

Mako lay stiff on the floor of her room, her mind whirling under the cacophony of new noises yelling from every which direction around her, the pounding of her own heartbeat at her unlikely protector's weight atop her body, and the voice insider her screaming at the top of its silent lungs that something was _wrong_.

The hiss of pain coming from the lips of her improbable defender gave her body the jump-start it needed to focus. "Takeru?" she whispered, her voice still hoarse. "_Takeru?_" She gave his shoulder a shake but all she received was an almost inaudible moan of pain in answer. As gently as she could, she pushed at the weight on top of her until she could roll him off and onto the floor. She was on her knees in an instant, hovering over his prone form, largely ignoring the chaos that now reigned around her.

Some part of her mind registered that Ryunosuke, Genta, and Chiaki were tussling with the assailant, dancing away from his wildly swinging blade but all of her focus was on the man in front of her.

"Mako? Mako!"

Mako jerked when she felt a small hand grasp her shoulder. She turned to see Kotoha standing over her in terror.

"Are you okay? What happened?!"

Mako shook her head. "I'm fine," she croaked.

Kotoha's eyes widened in horror. "Mako! Your neck!"

"It'll heal," she tried to assure her before turning back to the man beside her. "Something's wrong," she urged.

Kotoha's eyes followed her sister's in surprise. "What happened?"

"He protected me."

Kotoha felt her jaw drop open slightly in shock. "He – what? Mako, I don't understand."

"_Kotoha!_" Mako's voice was rough, both from abuse and frustration.

Kotoha jumped as if she had been shocked. "Right! Sorry!" Her eyes scanned over Takeru's form, biting her lip at what she saw. His left arm was cut open and bleeding from shoulder to elbow in a nasty, jagged line. His face was beginning to contort in pain and a cold sweat was breaking out over his body.

Mako was already ripping the veil off her head, using it is as a tourniquet for the arm wound, binding it tightly. Her features were set in grim determination when he winced at the tug her efforts put on his arm.

"I can't see anything that should have caused him to be like this," Kotoha muttered out loud. "Did he hit his head on something?"

Mako shook her head in answer.

Kotoha's eyes traced the wounded arm, her eyes dancing over to the group of men who had finally grabbed ahold of the assassin. A thought struck her. "Mako!" She grabbed her sister's arm to get her attention. "Do you think the blade was poisoned?"

Mako's eyes grew large, her gaze immediately falling to Takeru's prone form.

Kotoha whirled on the spot. "Don't touch the blade!" She shouted, drawing the eyes of the men in the room as they looked at the petite girl's sudden loud voice in surprise. "He's poisoned it!"

The three young men looked at the blade in shock, jumping back from its arc. Seizing his opportunity, the assassin's raised his dagger high. Before anyone could stop him, he had plunged the point deep into his heart, falling face forward onto the floor, a pool of dark blood staining the rug beneath him in an ever-increasing circle.

Kotoha grimaced and turned her face away.

Chiaki made a noise of disgust and frustration. "Coward," he spat.

Genta shook his head. "Even if we had managed to capture him alive, he wouldn't have lasted long in the interrogation that would have followed."

Ryunosuke was already halfway across the room. "_Hime!_ Are you okay?!"

Mako was shaking her head. "Takeru he –"

"_Hime! Your voice!" _Ryunosuke's eyes widened, spotting the discoloration that was already beginning to develop. "_Your neck!_" He bowed his head quickly, asking for her pardon before he let his fingertips trace the markings. She winced as he probed the abused area. "I don't think anything is broken," he muttered out loud. "Just a deep bruising. We were lucky this time."

Chiaki's face was scrunched up in confusion. "_This_ time?" Understanding dawned. "This isn't the _first_ time she's been attacked?!"

Ryunosuke nodded solemnly, noting Mako's tears as they began to well up in her eyes.

"Ryunosuke," she tried to start but her voice was scratchy.

He shook his head. "You need to rest your voice so you don't damage it further," he urged watching carefully as tears began to spill over.

Mako shook her head in frustration, looking to Kotoha for help.

"She's fine Ryunosuke," Kotoha assured him. "It's Takeru. He was cut by the blade and now we can't get him to regain consciousness."

Genta was beside Ryunosuke in an instant, checking Takeru's pulse and eyeing the situation himself, his features more serious than any of them had ever seen before.

Mako wiped her tears away angrily.

"I know _Hime_," Ryunosuke assured her.

She shook her head rapidly and pointed frantically to Takeru's unconscious form, her eyes demanding. With a reluctant sigh Ryunosuke stepped back from her. "I will, if you promise to keep quiet for a while." When Mako nodded he immediately stepped in and took over for Genta.

Chiaki pulled the dagger out of the dead man's chest, grimacing at the sound it made. "There should still be some poison near the hilt to help identify it," he informed them, scrutinizing it closely.

Ryunosuke inspected Takeru's wound seriously, taking note on all the damage to his body with a calm, practiced air. He nodded as Kotoha rattled off everything she could see or had noted before Ryunosuke had taken over.

Mako sat back, watching Ryunosuke at work, but unable to keep her complete distance. Tentatively she reached out a shaking hand and brushed aside Takeru's damp hair from his face. Tears coursed down her cheeks in renewed frustration as a fierce, sharp ache of sorrow and regret lanced through her chest.

_Not again_, her voice screamed silently in her heart. _Please, not again._


	7. Lie to Me

**Author's Note: **Hopefully it wasn't too long of a wait/cliffhanger for you. ;D Haha Enjoy! Constructive Criticism is always welcomed.

* * *

_**Ceteris Paribus**_

_Chapter __Seven: Lie to Me_

Mako hugged her knees to her chest, watching from her corner of the room. She closed her eyes and turned away as hot tears trailed down her cheeks. Kotoha sat next to her sister, stroking her hair in an attempt to soothe her, murmuring empty reassurances.

Genta and Chiaki were holding down Takeru's limbs as Ryunosuke applied topical medication to the arm wound, causing the wounded man to jerk at the touch. All three men had tight features as they worked on their patient. Ryunosuke sanitized a sharp, thin needle in a candle's flame before lacing it with a chord of clean, strong thread. He nodded to the two others and they clamped down on the unconscious man with grim determination on their faces.

Mako covered her ears with the palms of her hands, feeling like she was going to be sick when the sounds of pain filled the room. Kotoha's arms wrapped around her tightly, keeping her centered and protected as best she could. She brushed her fingers lightly across Mako's face, drawing aside the hair she had hidden under when it was over.

"It's okay Mako, he finished," Kotoha soothed, her voice nearly inaudible. Mako just shook her head in answer. Kotoha's face was full of empathy. She knew that it was still far from over, but she had hoped to have given her sister some comfort.

"What about the poison?" Genta was urging.

"And why the hell aren't we getting a proper healer in here?" Chiaki demanded.

"They won't come," Kotoha's answer was quiet as Ryunosuke concentrated on his work.

"What do you mean they 'won't come'?" Chiaki demanded.

"He's just a slave now, whatever he was before," Ryunosuke stated blandly, his brows furrowing as he added the symptoms up in his head, knowing that he was racing against time.

"But he was wounded protecting _your sister_," Chiaki insisted to Kotoha, ignoring Ryunosuke's comment, as he gestured wildly in Mako's direction. "Doesn't that count for _anything_?!"

"Not here it doesn't," Ryunosuke muttered. Chiaki's look was incredulous; only able to sputter nonsensically in response.

"Aren't they concerned that the _First Princess of the Court_ was nearly murdered?" Genta asked his face grim.

Kotoha and Ryunosuke exchanged quick glances, something unspoken passing between them.

Genta watched with a sharp eye. "You mentioned before that this wasn't the first time…"

"Mako," Kotoha glanced quickly at her sister. "She's…well, she's not a stranger to attacks on her life."

"Why doesn't she have a personal guard then?" Genta asked, confusion riddled across his face.

"There were but after the third one died protecting her…" Ryunosuke answered quietly as Kotoha held her sister tightly. "_Hime_ refused to let another die for her again."

Chiaki's eyes all but popped out of his head "Three?!" he glanced quickly at the woman being comforted by her little sister. "What the hell has she done to have so many after her life?"

Ryunosuke shrugged nonchalantly. "She's the First Princess, she's the daughter of the king, her country is in the midst of a civil war against the other half of the kingdom, she stood up to the wrong Lady…take your pick, the list goes on." He stood suddenly and hurried across the room before delving deep into an ebony chest that lay all but unnoticed in the far-corner, picking out various crystal bottles seemingly at random. "It doesn't take as much as you'd think around here."

"Ridiculous," Chiaki muttered to himself. "This place is so screwed up."

Genta gave Chiaki a discreet look of warning when Kotoha shot a puzzled look Chiaki's way in response. Right when she opened her mouth to comment Genta interrupted, his voice tense. "I think he's getting worse."

Takeru was now beginning to slowly thrash about in pain, his movements becoming more pronounced as the seconds dragged on.

"I know," Ryunosuke's voice was strained. "I'm working on it."

They looked up to see him mixing together different phials into a larger one.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Chiaki asked, doubt laced in his tone.

"My mother trained me before she passed," Ryunosuke answered tightly. "I've continued to learn ever since." He turned to give Chiaki a brief glare. "As I've told you before, this isn't our first experience."

"You said three guards _died_," Chiaki bit back. "That's not exactly reassuring."

"Ryunosuke's saved more though," Kotoha's voice was quiet. "Or we managed to get them to a healer fast enough."

Chiaki looked like he had been slapped in the face. "How often has this happened?!"

"More often than we'd like to recall," Ryunosuke's tone was bitter.

"Ever since Mako and I were little," Kotoha answered quietly. She tried to shrug indifferently, but they could see the tense set of her body and the tight lines in her face. "Ryunosuke knows what he's doing."

"I don't think I want to know," Chiaki muttered quietly. Genta nodded firmly in assent.

"Got it," Ryunosuke announced with tense relief. "We should be in time."

Mako turned in Kotoha's embrace, her expression anxious, not daring to let herself hope just yet.

"Should be?" Chiaki asked with raised brow, scowling when Genta elbowed him to be quiet.

Ryunosuke hurried back over to Takeru whose moans of pain were becoming more audible. "He needs to ingest this orally."

"Huh?" Chiaki's confusion wasn't hard to miss.

"We need to get him to drink it," Ryunosuke re-explained through clenched teeth, asking for patience from the heavens for the second time that day.

"Oh."

Mako gently disentangled herself from Kotoha's embrace, her jaw firmly set. Kotoha looked at her sister curiously.

"Someone needs to get him to open his mouth," Ryunosuke argued as he delicately held the crystal glass close.

Genta and Chiaki exchanged shrugs before trying their hardest, but their actions only seemed to aggravate their patient more, causing fresh bouts of sweat to break out all over his body, his head moving side to side, alternately avoiding or breaking their grasps.

"We don't have a lot of time left," Ryunosuke informed them, his voice taut with tension.

"We're trying!" Chiaki argued. "It's hard trying to keep the rest of him still _and_ get his damn mouth to open at the same time."

"He's clenching his teeth together," Genta informed the room in general. "I don't think it's going to work this way."

"We don't have any other choice," Ryunosuke urged.

"Mako?"

They looked up to see Kotoha on her feet, hovering just behind her older sister who was making her way across the floor.

Mako dropped to her knees next to Takeru's head and held out her hand in Ryunosuke's direction.

"_Hime…_" Ryunosuke's tone held a warning. Mako glared up at him in return. With a resigned sigh he kneeled down beside her and she retracted her hand for the moment. Genta and Chiaki watched, holding down Takeru's shaking limbs as Kotoha hovered above them, biting her lip in nervous anticipation.

Mako gently lifted Takeru's head onto her lap, wincing when he hissed a painful bout of air between his teeth. Her thoughts whirled wildly, panic lending instinct the greater pathway. She bent low to his ear, stroking his hair away from his face as she did so, trying to send some form of comfort to his unconscious form.

"Takeru," she whispered, so low that even Ryunosuke who kneeled beside her couldn't hear. "I know you're in pain," she told him, ignoring her own as her voice box protested its sudden usage. "This will help," she urged. "Please, you have to take it."

She took the crystal bottle from Ryunosuke's hand when he offered it. "You _have _to trust me," she pressed. "You saved my life. Let me save yours." Steeling herself for what she knew she had to do, Mako dropped her fingertips to his shoulder and pressed gently on his aggravated wound. Takeru gasped in pain and Mako seized her chance, draining the bottle herself before pressing her lips quickly against his.

A stunned silence reverberated through the room as Mako forced the antidote into Takeru's mouth from her own. The four watched in fascination as, by some miracle, Takeru swallowed and Mako slowly released his lips.

"So…" Genta attempted to break the charged silence. "Did it work?"

Ryunosuke gaped at Mako for several more minutes before Genta's question finally registered. "I – I think so," his voice came out higher than he meant it to and he cleared his throat before continuing. "It should," he amended. "We've done all we can for now." He tore his eyes away from Mako to look at Genta's questioning gaze. "It's all up to him; he'll either be able to fight it off or he won't."

Genta nodded grimly, slowly relaxing his grip on Takeru as the tremors began to fade.

Chiaki too cleared his throat, looking everywhere but at the princess in front of him. "So, uh, this place needs to be tidied up a bit." He glanced over at the all but forgotten dead man in the corner. He sighed quietly and stood. "I'll take care of _him_."

Ryunosuke stood too. "I'll help."

Genta studied Mako for a long moment. "So what do you think Princess? Should we move him somewhere else? Make him more comfortable?"

Mako slowly drew her gaze away from the face of the man lying in her lap. She nodded once, firmly. Between the three of them they managed to move Takeru's unconscious form to her favorite settee, making him as comfortable as they could. Kotoha rushed off into Mako's private room to gather some blankets while Genta stood and rubbed the kinks out of his neck. Mako sat on the floor next to Takeru, watching the slightly uneven rise and fall of his chest as if the sheer power of her will could keep each breath coming.

Genta looked down at Mako with an ironic smile, recalling the conversation he had just had earlier that day with Ryunosuke and shook his head. He squatted down next to her and boldly placed a hand on her shoulder.

Mako's eyes darted first to his hand than his face, questions and a returning wariness warring against her anxiety and sorrow for dominance on her features.

"He'll be fine," Genta tried his best to reassure her. "He's a strong one."

Mako's eyes narrowed in suspicion rather than relief.

Genta's smile grew as he watched her puzzling the pieces together slowly in her head. Her gaze flashed to Takeru's before returning to Genta's in sudden understanding and his grin grew larger. She all but glared in response, her body tensing up immediately.

Genta kept his voice low. "I know this is asking a lot of you – that trust is in short supply right now and with good reason." He nodded to Takeru and she watched him warily. He held her gaze. "I told you before. I've traveled a lot, been in numerous occupations of varying statuses… I've met a lot of people."

Mako read the undercurrents in his words.

"Just – just let me _request_ that you watch over him, Princess." His eyes were intense and pleading. There was no deceit in his eyes and Mako felt some of her tension leave her. "That's all I ask."

Mako nodded but gave him a look that clearly read that they would discuss this further when she had full use of her voice again.

Genta's smile was broad and genuine. "That's fair," he assured her. "An even trade then." He stood when Kotoha came rushing back over, blankets spilling out of her arms. "Thank you Princess," he bowed respectfully before backing away, leaving behind a thoroughly curious Kotoha as he turned to help Chiaki and Ryunosuke clean up the mess left behind from the tussle.

Mako regarded the smiling man with a steady gaze before a quiet noise from Kotoha had her turning to help her sister tuck Takeru in as best they could. When they were both satisfied, Kotoha left her sister to watch over Takeru as she helped to put the room back in order.

Mako watched them for a few moments, part of her feeling guilty for not helping, but the larger part refusing to budge from her current spot. She eventually turned back to her charge and simply watched him breathe for a long time.

Timidly, she reached out a hand to run through his hair in a soothing gesture, wondering at how soft it felt beneath her fingers. Her eyes drifted to his lips and she recalled with a blush how they had felt against hers, even in that moment of desperation. Unconsciously her other hand rose to her own lips, tracing the lingering warmth there.

It was in that moment that Ryunosuke looked up from his corner of the room and paused at what he saw. Many thoughts raced through his mind the longer he watched, the most prominent of which was hope – a fervent hope that they wouldn't all live one day to regret this.

* * *

Looking back on it all later, Mako knew she could pinpoint the day that everything had changed as the day that the assassination attempt had been foiled by one of the last people she would have imagined. She also knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that had Takeru not been there, she would have been dead long before Kotoha or Ryunosuke had been able to reach her.

She knew this but was confused by it. Why would Takeru, a slave, someone who had neither loyalties nor obligations toward her, risk his life to save her own? It didn't make any sense.

If all the rumors were true than, next to her father, Takeru had every right to _hate_ her, to take advantage of that situation and make his escape.

Her mind produced question after question for which she had no answer.

With her damaged voice from the strangulation hold, Mako was on strict orders to not speak or strain her voice for at least a week, if not more. Besides, the one person who could answer all of her questions was still lying unconscious upon her settee.

She sighed quietly as she dipped the cloth in her hands into the cool water basin at her feet, wrung it out as best she could, and replaced the one on Takeru's forehead. She frowned slightly, noting the previous head cloth's warmth.

Takeru had a fever, one that had Mako fretting endlessly, but Ryunosuke assured her it was a positive sign.

"It means his body is fighting off the poison," he had told her each time she had given him an anxious look. "As soon as the fever breaks, it will just be a matter of when he decides to wake up."

Mako was ready to throw the warm cloth across the room in frustration, but managed to contain herself by focusing on the patient in front of her. Her eyes traced his features as her mind wandered.

She felt fortunate that Takeru had someone else as invested in his well-being as her. Genta was now all but a permanent fixture in the room when he could steal the time away from his other duties. If Mako wasn't watching over him, Genta almost certainly was. Often they would be sitting in tense silence as they watched their charge.

Mako knew most of the tense atmosphere was coming from her. Genta was concerned about Takeru's health but was confident he'd be "right as rain" soon; it was Mako's suspicions and wariness that had both of them on guard.

Ryunosuke never let Mako out of his sight now unless Genta or Chiaki was in the room with her. She didn't mind. He always got like this until enough time had passed for the initial fear and panic from the latest attempt to fade into the background. She knew the cycle by heart now. It didn't bother her as much as it probably should.

Kotoha would normally be hovering around Mako like a buzzing bee, but Mako suspected her absences had a lot to do with her new guard. She would have to keep an eye on the two, monitor the situation from a safe distance, but from the way he looked at her sister, Mako was beginning to feel that there was no one better that she could entrust her sister with. She was grateful to Chiaki too, for keeping Kotoha distracted and busy, getting her out of the rooms to enjoy the day rather than being coped up with her for endless hours with nothing to do but fret.

She started slightly when she heard a noise coming from the other side of the room, her eyes flashing in anxious anticipation. She relaxed slightly when she saw that it was Genta entering, a tray balanced neatly in his hands. She hated to admit it, but perhaps she was a little more wary after this last attempt on her life – she'd never admit it to anyone lest she be the cause of more anxiety, but the would-be assassin had gotten much closer than any of his predecessors.

"Hey Princess!" Genta called out jovially. "How's our favorite patient doing today?" His grin only widened when he caught Ryunosuke's eye roll.

Mako shrugged in response and gestured toward Takeru.

"No change then?" Genta's face fell fractionally.

Mako shook her head.

"_Tsk_," Genta shook his head with a mischievous smile. "How anyone can remain sick with such a beautiful woman by their side every day is beyond me." Mako flushed. Ryunosuke paused in his work to look up with a warning glare. Genta stood over Takeru with his hands on his hips. "Maybe he's faking it so that he can keep you near," he flashed Mako a cheeky smile. "Or maybe he's hoping for another kiss – that might wake him up in a hurry."

Mako's cheeks burned a brilliant hue.

"Watch it," Ryunosuke growled. "You forget whom you're talking to."

Genta waved Ryunosuke's protests away. "Aww, come on. It's all in fun." He eyed Takeru with a considering expression. "Take-chan was always –"

Ryunosuke's hand jerked and knocked some of his work onto the floor, cutting Genta off in surprise. Mako threw the two of them intense looks of curiosity as Ryunosuke gaped at the other man.

"What did you call him?" Ryunosuke asked incredulous.

Genta frowned for a moment before he realized what he had said and became suddenly sheepish. He cleared his throat awkwardly. "It's a nickname," he admitted reluctantly, giving Ryunosuke an apologetic look as Mako looked on, more than a little confused. When he turned to her, he caught the raised brow of question and sighed gustily.

"I…I've known Take-chan a long time," Genta admitted, watching Mako's eyebrows fly high into her hairline in surprise. His body tensed, suddenly vastly unsure. "It's a nickname I gave to him when we were kids."

Mako studied the young man before her for a long minute, his posture rigid. Ryunosuke sat at his table, shoulders tense, watching the scene unfold before him with an intensity that rivaled Mako's.

She let her eyes drift down to the unconscious man beside her, searching his blank face before searching Genta's tense one once more.

Her shoulders suddenly fell slightly, but from what, neither man in the room could discern. Eventually Mako simply nodded at Genta's admission in acceptance. She stood up slowly, handing the damp cloth in her hands to Genta before making her way to her private rooms and shutting the door behind her firmly.

Silence reigned in the room she left behind.

Genta turned to Ryunosuke guiltily. "Sorry," he apologized in a low voice. "It just slipped."

Ryunosuke was fuming. "Unbelievable."

Genta tried to shrug it off. "She already knows I know Takeru outside of this place."

"What!?"

"She found out," Genta purposely left out the fact that he had told Mako himself. "She would have figured out more eventually."

Ryunosuke looked torn between face planting into the table or throttling the man.

* * *

Mako sat on the floor, her back against the door as she rested her head against the warm wood and sighed quietly to herself.

_What were you expecting?_ She asked herself. _You already knew he knows Takeru somehow; meeting him as children isn't such a stretch. _

_But knowing him for so long,_ another voice inside her argued. _That was…unexpected. _

Her eyes drifted to the door behind her. _But why am I so surprised?_ She wondered. _I know next to nothing about Takeru, except for the rumors and the stories my father has spouted far and wide. There will be more secrets and surprises to come, if they're ever unveiled. _She frowned slightly. _It's not like secrets around here are anything new. This place is riddled with them. Secrets and lies and deceits._

She felt her body sag against the door as she rubbed the palms of her hands across her eyes. _I'm just so tired of it. I'm tired of watching my back all the time, tired of wondering which new person who enters my life will be concealing a knife in his or her hands to stab me in the back with…in words or in deeds. _

She let her mind drift, thinking back over the last few days as her eyes wandered over her room, over all the things she knew inside and out, the familiar and comforting.

Her fingers traced over the bruising on her neck absentmindedly. She had started wearing silken scarves around her neck to hide the marks. She had grown tired of everyone's stares after the first day.

Thinking of the ugly, tender area had her remembering the act itself and she blanched at the memories. She didn't want to think about those right now, but something else kept tugging at her, forcing her to relive those moments.

Her eyes widened in a flash as her mind recalled what she had heard during those panic-stricken moments. She had heard a voice. A voice that had called out to her, reaching to her as she fought to breathe. A voice that she had only heard once before.

_Takeru_, she realized. He had called out to her, called her name when he had realized what was going on. She felt a warmth bubble up inside her. _He called me by name, not by title._ She felt a ludicrous desire to smile from that thought. It was quickly followed up by when he had shielded her with his own body, warning the assassin not to touch her. Mako hid her face behind her hands as it warmed, though no one was around to see her flush.

She dragged her hands down, her eyes peeking out from behind her fingertips as she also recalled Takeru's weight atop her body, his warmth seeping into her from their close contact.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid_, Mako berated herself. _This isn't the time to suddenly discover you have…desires._ She felt her blush deepen. _This is ridiculous_, she moaned. _You're just confused, that's all. Takeru saved your life and you don't why. You're grateful but confused._ She told herself. _It's the confusion, that's what it is. Don't be going and mixing it up with…other things_. Her mind flashed a memory of her lips on his and Mako groaned in dismay. Apparently she was tired of lying to herself as well, her mind stubbornly pulling up the memory of his warm hand firmly holding her steady when she had almost lost her balance reaching for a book.

_Don't go down this road, Mako._ She told herself sternly. _You don't have the time to get…involved with someone. You have enough on your plate as it is. _She hugged her arms tightly around her as she remembered her coming-of-age ceremony. _This is what your father wants. You can't forget that. Don't give him the satisfaction – don't show him that you'll dance for him like a doll on a string, bowing down to his every whim and will. _

_You drew that line in the sand for a reason. Those – those touches, these feelings, whatever they are, they cannot be. You will not _let_ them be. You can't afford it. _She relaxed slightly under the return of calm, cool logic. _Your father just wants you to play around, wants you to humiliate yourself and Takeru – whoever he really is. _

_You can't let more people get close,_ she reasoned._ You can't risk putting more people in harm's way. Ryunosuke knows what he's getting himself into, and Kotoha – Kotoha has someone else watching out for her now. This is good. This is how it _should be.

_Besides_, she told herself. _Even if these…_feelings_ are…_ She didn't allow herself to venture further in her examination of them. _Takeru has probably only been acting without thinking. _She nodded gently to herself, holding back the wince it caused her. _You see someone fall, you automatically reach out to help. And when he saw the assassin… well, if it had happened right in front of him and he had done nothing, it would have meant the end of his life right there and then, for being a possible co-conspirator. _

_That's what it is. _She convinced herself. _Survival. Seeing the next morning dawn and being able to feel its warmth on your face. That's all it is. There's nothing more to it._

Mako's face dropped into her court mask as she persuaded herself to believe her own thoughts, ignoring the part of her that was afraid of what she might do if the truth she needed desperately to believe really was nothing but more lies.

_That's all it is…_


	8. Consider the Impossible

**Author's Note: **Some of your responses/comments on this story are greatly in-tune with the story plot/character's motivations and thoughts. It's quite fascinating, really. :) I can't wait to see what else you divine from the story before it's through! (Which is going to be awhile still I think...) Enjoy! Constructive Criticism is always welcomed.

* * *

_**Ceteris Paribus**_

_Chapter __Eight: Consider the Impossible_

"Mako? Why don't you come with us for a little while?" Kotoha urged. "You look like you could use the fresh air."

Mako smiled. "Thank you," her voice was a whisper. "But I'm fine here."

Kotoha opened her mouth to argue, but stopped when Chiaki laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. She sighed. She knew better than anyone how stubborn her sister could be. Takeru had yet to regain consciousness with his fever still raging. Kotoha knew Mako would refuse to leave his side for any duration of time exceeding the "absolutely necessary," but she still had to try. "Are you sure Mako? Genta will be here any minute. He can watch Takeru for a bit. He –" She paused suddenly, her head tilting to the side like a curious little bird. "What's that sound?"

Chiaki and Mako looked at Kotoha in confusion; even Ryunosuke paused in what he was doing to listen.

"I don't hear anything," Chiaki admitted after several minutes of hard listening.

"Really? But I – there it is again." Kotoha turned about this time, searching for the source of the noise.

Mako blinked at her sister, wondering what she could possibly be hearing when an indistinct sound reached her ears. "I hear it too," she said softly. It had just caught the edge of her hearing, too low to make sense of.

Chiaki looked at the two girls in complete bewilderment as they turned their heads about, searching for whatever they had heard. He sighed, "It's probably just the wind or something."

Kotoha shook her head. "I don't think so. It sounds like…like someone is trying to say something, but I can't make any sense out of it."

Mako and Kotoha's eyes met in twin looks of wondering before they both looked down at Takeru simultaneously.

Kotoha's eyes were wide. "So he _can_ talk…"

Sure enough, Takeru's lips were moving in his fevered-dreams; sometimes his voice was just barely audible, other times it was completely soundless. Either way, neither girl could make heads or tails of what he was saying. It sounded like incoherent mutterings to their ears.

Ryunosuke was at their sides in a flash as all four stared down at the unconscious man before them in astonished silence.

"Hey guys!" Genta's voice broke into the quiet with its usual fervor. "What has everyone so tense this lovely afternoon?"

Ryunosuke gestured wildly to get the man to keep silent for a few minutes.

Bewildered, Genta approached on quick, anxious feet. "Is something wrong with Takeru? Did something happen?"

"Something's happened alright," Chiaki muttered too low for the girls to hear as they had drawn in closer to listen better. "The _house guest_ is talking in his sleep."

Genta looked at his companion in complete confusion.

"In his own language," Chiaki continued.

It took a moment for the information to click before Genta looked down at Takeru, dumbfounded.

"Exactly," Chiaki correctly interpreted Genta's expression. He grasped Genta by the arm and pulled him back slightly. "What now?"

Genta shrugged. "About what?"

Chiaki scowled.

Genta rolled his eyes in response. "It's not like they can understand what he's saying," he assured the younger man beside him. "For all they know, he's just incoherent."

"Fine, but _we_ can understand him. We know what he's saying." His eyes darted around the room before lowering his voice in further. "And we don't know who _else_ in this place might be able to."

"Then it's a good thing he's _here_ and not in some other Lady's room or the dungeons," Genta insisted. "He's _fine_."

Chiaki's look darkened. "It's not exactly _safe_ here either." He jerked his head in the direction of Mako and Takeru. "Did you forget what caused the bruising around her neck or why he's unconscious in the first place?"

Genta sighed. "Fine, point taken."

"So what do we _do_?"

Genta watched as Mako's head lifted, her eyes finding his in question and Genta knew she had already pieced more of the puzzle together. He nodded to her and she turned back to Takeru. "She's quick, almost too quick," he muttered.

"What?"

Genta shook his head. "We're going to _trust_ her, that's what we're going to do." He made to join Mako and Kotoha at Takeru's side when Chiaki's hand shot out and held his elbow firmly.

"Are you sure that's the right idea?"

"Do we have another choice?" Genta challenged. "Besides," his eyes darted to Mako's intent form, "it's only a matter of time."

Chiaki looked ready to ask exactly what Genta had meant by that statement but stopped when Mako looked back once more, wondering what was taking Genta so long. Chiaki dropped his hand from Genta's elbow immediately when her eyes latched on to the hold. He tried to look unconcerned as she studied him quizzically. He tried not to fidget under her gaze.

As Genta went to Mako's side, Chiaki turned to Ryunosuke who had remained silent throughout the entire exchange. "What do you think?"

"I agree with Genta," Ryunosuke told him.

"About what?"

His eyebrow lifted at the younger man's question. "You should trust her." He left it at that and moved closer, leaving the younger man more confused and irritated than before.

Mako looked up when she felt Genta standing behind her. "What is he saying?" she asked her voice breathless from its abuse as he knelt down beside her.

The room was absolutely silent as they listened intently.

Genta frowned in concentration, letting none of what Takeru said show on his face.

"Is he alright?" Mako asked impatiently when Genta made no move to interpret right away.

"Just dreaming, I think," Genta explained. He looked at her sideways. "How did you know…?"

Mako met his inquiring gaze with an elegant shrug. "More of a hope," she admitted. "If you knew him as a child, you'd have a better chance at understanding him." She looked back at Takeru. "And if the stories are true, I'd rather have him speaking in his native tongue than nonsensical mutterings from a side-effect of the poison or this prolonged fever."

Genta nodded in acceptance of her answer while Chiaki glared daggers into Genta's back.

"What's he saying?" she insisted.

"_Hime_," Ryunosuke warned. Mako ducked her head; he had given her permission to begin using her voice again but not to "strain it unnecessarily."

"About home," Genta told her.

Mako noted that Genta seemed to have included himself in that statement; no matter how much he had claimed to have traveled about. She looked at him imploringly.

Genta sighed. "You should ask him yourself when he awakens." He caught her look of stubbornness. "You could order me to tell you," he admitted and she flushed. "And I'll answer, but I can't guarantee how honest I'll be in my responses." His gaze drifted back down to his friend. "Besides, I think he deserves to keep his private thoughts to himself, don't you? He hasn't been allowed to keep much else here."

Mako's face flushed a deep red, her eyes downcast.

Ryunosuke made a warning noise and Genta looked up with a start, realizing what he had said.

"Don't get me wrong Princess," Genta hastily covered. "You've done more for him than I have any right to expect, all things considered, but…you _did_ steal his first kiss."

All eyes turned to gape at Genta's cheeky grin, all eyes but Mako's who had suddenly found the intricate embroidery of her clothes to be fascinating as her face turned steadily scarlet.

"What?" Genta looked taken a back. "Don't tell me that was your first kiss too?" When Mako's flush only deepened, turning even her ears red, Genta couldn't hide his overly bright grin.

"I think that's enough for now," Ryunosuke broke in, grabbing Genta by the arm and hauling him to his feet. "Excuse us _Hime_," he addressed Mako. "I think I need to have a little _chat_ with our cook here to discuss the topic of _tact_." He dragged a protesting Genta out the door.

There was an awkward silence as Chiaki stood there, torn between watching the girls and joining Ryunosuke and Genta outside. When Kotoha gave him an assuring wave of her hand he nodded. "I'll be right outside," he told her before making a hasty exit.

Kotoha smiled brightly as she watched him leave before placing a gentle hand on Mako's shoulder, drawing her sister's gaze. "It's okay, you know," she told her kindly. "What you did… it was necessary. You saved his life, Mako."

Mako picked at the stitches of her outfit until Kotoha gave her hands a gentle squeeze. Mako looked up at her sister then.

"And it's okay to want to be…_interested_ in someone," her tone was soft.

Mako shook her head. "No," she told her quietly. "No, it's not."

When Kotoha looked at her questioningly, Mako took a moment to study Takeru's face before she looked back at her sister's. "You know why," she insisted.

Kotoha's brows furrowed as she opened her mouth to argue but Mako cut her off.

"I _can't_," she insisted. "There's a line there that neither of us should cross." She bit her lip. "And if he's – if Takeru really is who they say he is – then all the more so."

"But – why? Mako, I don't understand."

Mako looked at her sister despondently. "I have more reasons than I can count. But for him – for Takeru? For his country? What would it look like to them if we – if anything _were_ to happen? And that would be assuming that both of us were even _willing _to be…_interested._"

Kotoha considered what her sister was implying. "I see what you mean," she answered slowly. "But…shouldn't that be something Takeru decides for himself? If he really is the prince of Caelestis Via, than wouldn't he know his people's reaction better than us?" Her smile quickened. "Maybe he could take you with him to his country – take you away from this place."

Mako blinked rapidly before shaking her head. "Those romance stories of yours…" She looked at her sister seriously. "Or maybe he's just some poor, average civilian who was plucked off the streets of Caelestis Via. One who is under orders to disguise himself as a royal, allow himself to be captured, and get as close to us as he can – to get as much information from the inside as possible to send back to his kingdom."

Kotoha's brow rose. "And you say _I _read too much fantasy." She watched Takeru's lips move in his mutterings, all the words as foreign to her as the country they came from. "But…we don't _know_ Mako; we can't make assumptions like this."

"That's my point Kotoha," Mako insisted. "We don't know anything about him."

Kotoha looked her sister in the eye. "Then when he wakes up, you should ask." Mako blinked at her little sister. "You're a fairly good judge of when someone's lying to you," she continued. "You'll know if he's telling you the truth or not. Then you won't have to worry as much anymore."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Mako admitted.

"Afraid of what, exactly?"

"What if it _is_ all true? What if the stories and rumors are not false?"

Kotoha bit her lip. "I guess we cross that bridge when we come to it. But why be afraid of it being true?" She studied the rosy dusting across her sister's face. "_Are_ you attracted to him?"

Mako didn't respond and Kotoha felt a small smile beginning on her face. "That's not entirely a bad thing, you know." She looked back at Takeru. "He's a fairly good-looking man." Mako glared playfully at her sister and Kotoha giggled. "You're not denying it," she pointed out.

"Just because a man is easy on the eyes does not mean a girl should lose her head," Mako responded tartly.

Kotoha did her best not to laugh at her sister's grumpy tone, even if it was still muted in volume. "I don't know Mako," she sighed. "He _did_ save your life. He didn't have to."

"You know how it would have looked otherwise. He would have looked like he'd done the deed himself. How long do you think they'd let him live after that?"

Kotoha paused and considered that. "True…but it also would have been the best opportunity for him." When Mako looked at her in confusion, Kotoha pressed on. "There were only four of us," she pointed out. "If we had come back to find you…gone, all Takeru would have had to do was hide until Genta came in. With the confusion that would have followed, the two of them could have slipped out unnoticed until long after we realized they were missing." She shrugged. "By that time, they could have been well on their way back to their own people."

Mako allowed her sister's logic to counteract her own for a moment, suddenly thrown off-balance once again. She sighed quietly to herself, not knowing _what_ to believe or think anymore.

* * *

Mako started awake when she heard a low hiss of pain. She had fallen asleep next to the settee again. She blinked rapidly to clear the dreamy haze from her gaze as she looked at the lamps she had left burning, wondering at what time it was.

The sound came again and Mako's gaze was immediately drawn to its source. She felt a jolt go through her when she caught blurry eyes looking back at hers. She felt an intense wave of relief and happiness pass through her as she watched him watching her. "You're awake," she whispered.

He watched her, a look of confusion dominant on his face.

"The assassin," she explained. "His blade was poisoned. We gave you an antidote but you've still been unconscious for some days now." She studied him. "Do you remember any of it?"

He nodded haltingly after a moment and she smiled a little sadly.

"Good." When he gave her a puzzled expression her smiled widened. "We didn't know what affect the poison or the fever would have on you. When you started talking in your sleep, I was hopeful that there wasn't any damage, but until you woke up we couldn't be sure." She caught his look of alarm. "Don't worry, whatever you muttered, I couldn't understand it. Genta would only tell me that you were talking about your home."

She interpreted his look. "You were speaking in your own native language," she admitted. When he watched her warily, her smile was bittersweet – she recognized the look all too well within herself. "I have my…_concerns_, but until we get a chance to talk…" She shrugged.

When his eyes began to slide shut she sighed quietly and lifted the cloth on his forehead, resting her fingers there instead. His eyes shot open in a flash, surprise evident in his gaze.

"I think your fever finally broke," she said, whether to him or to herself she wasn't sure. "That's a relief."

She dipped the mostly-dry cloth into the basin near her feet, squeezing it out firmly before wiping away at the dried sweat on his face. When he jerked back in reaction she froze.

_I should have expected that._ Her face fell. "I'm sorry." She looked away. "I'll have someone fetch Genta for you; he'll want to know you're awake anyways." She stood up to move towards the door when his hand clamped firmly around her wrist.

Mako's head turned so fast she gasped from the pain it caused her still-healing neck. Her eyes watered as she brought her free hand to it in an involuntary reaction. She looked briefly over at him, unable to read his expression from her blurry gaze. "Don't worry," she whispered her voice softer than before. "He told me himself of his own free will that you've known each other for quite some time if that's what you're concerned about." When she made to move again she felt the tug on her wrist, gentler than before. She managed to clear her vision as he pulled her closer, his eyes burning with guarded curiosity.

Mako let him guide her so that she was sitting on the settee beside him. She watched him steadily as his hand released her wrist and rose to gently move aside the silken scarf she had draped around her neck. Her heart pounded in her chest but her face revealed nothing as she waited with bated breath.

Takeru's arm froze, his eyes widening slightly at what he saw there.

Mako knew it was ugly. The mottled mix of yellows, purples, blues and greens that still decorated her neck in the rough circular pattern left over from the homemade noose made even her cringe to look at.

"It's okay," she told him. "Ryunosuke says there's no lasting damage. My voice is healing smoothly, and the bruises will fade eventually."

He dropped his hand and looked away.

"I want to thank you," her voice shy in the charged silence.

He looked back at her, his expression unreadable.

"For saving my life," she elaborated. "Whatever the reason for it, I'm thankful to be alive. And I thank you for giving me that." Her eyes met his, the intensity in them surprising him. "Why…why did you save me? You protected me when you could have made your escape instead. If you had…you might be free right now."

He was silent for so long, Mako gave up expecting him to talk to her now, no matter what he had voiced before. His gaze dropped from hers to study the wall.

"…I don't know."

Mako's smile was bittersweet, part of her thrilling in the fact that he had spoken to her, even if he couldn't look at her to do so. "It's okay," she told him as she stood. She paused. "And thank you, for not giving up." She glanced back with a soft smile when his eyes flitted over to hers. "Thank you for fighting to stay alive."

Takeru watched her as her outline faded into the night's shadows, his gaze fixed there long after he couldn't see her anymore.

* * *

"Hey Take-chan," Genta greeted quietly, his voice tense but a smile still lit up his face all the same. The sun had long risen by the time the message had reached Genta and he was able to break away from his duties long enough to steal some time with his friend. "Glad to see you back in the world with the rest of us. How are you feeling?"

After Mako had left, Takeru had fallen asleep again in exhaustion. By the time he awoke, she had all but disappeared, replaced by Ryunosuke who had kept to his corner of the room, quietly working away.

"Like I was run over by an entire caravan," he admitted.

Genta cracked a grin. "Proof of being alive." He shook his head at his friend. "You gave us quite the scare you know."

"Sorry," Takeru mumbled.

Genta waved his apology away. "I wasn't looking for an apology Take-chan, I'm just curious as to _why_ you risked your life like that." He dropped his voice conspiratorially. "And I'm not the only one who'd like to know."

Takeru looked at him questioningly.

Genta nodded. "We had to let them know…just in case." He shrugged it off. "You're recuperating well enough now, so that's nothing to worry about." He grinned impishly. "You had quite the little healer's aide glued to your side you know."

Takeru looked at his friend in puzzlement.

"The little Lady hardly left your side," he gave his friend an audacious wink. "She even supplied the antidote to you in a rather – _charming_ fashion." When Takeru's expression didn't change, Genta's grin grew. "Congratulations Take-chan," he patted his friend's shoulder gently. "You've now officially had your first kiss."

Takeru choked on his inhale of air and Genta burst out laughing, causing Ryunosuke to look up from his work with a scowl to rival Chiaki's.

"Stop worrying," Genta called over to Ryunosuke. "Your princesses are getting some fresh air with Chiaki; he'll keep them out for a while."

Ryunosuke shook his head, muttering mutinously to himself before returning to his work.

Genta grinned in response before turning back to Takeru, delighted to see a flush reaching its way across his face, even if it _was_ accompanied by a glare. He held up his hands in defense. "You were refusing the antidote – she had to get creative in its administration." He eyed his friend. "No offense Take-chan, you're my closest friend and all, but I wouldn't have been able to do the same. Had she not been in the room, you'd probably be dead right now."

Takeru nodded, taking it all in. "What else happened when I was out?"

"How much do you remember of that day?" Genta countered.

Takeru thought back, shifting through his scattered memories. "I was reading," his brows furrowed in concentration. "I heard her gasp, and when I looked up he had a chord wrapped around her neck." He remembered feeling shock at first, like a swift punch to the gut, rooting him to his chair in complete disbelief as he had watched her work desperately at the material cutting off her air supply. It had been too surreal. That's what had taken him so long to react – the absolute shock at what he was witnessing. And then something – something had just taken over. He had reacted without thinking; his only thought was to protect her somehow, against all logical reasoning.

Search as he might, he couldn't find a rational reason for why he had reacted the way he did. It didn't make any sense. Mako had been right. The smart thing to do would have been to use the opportunity to escape and find his way back to his camp, leaving Chiaki and Genta here to continue what was already in motion. He could be of more use elsewhere.

He sighed. "I don't know," he admitted. "I just reacted." He looked down at his wrists and felt a jolt of surprise. His bindings were gone, clean bandages had replaced the ugly, abrasive cuffs. He lifted a hand to his neck, to feel a simple, if not thick, leather strap there instead.

Genta's grin was wide. "She had them removed the same day," he told him. "She was adamant." He laughed. "I would have loved to have been there to see that fierce face of hers as she demanded for the key." Both of them could imagine it all too clearly. He nodded to Takeru's bandaged wrists. "They were a little worse for wear after your tussle. She made sure they were taken care of once the bindings came off."

Takeru was speechless. He should have realized when he had first woken up that his bindings were gone. Maybe it was the remnants of the fever that had just had him solely focused on the face in front of him instead? Yes, that had to be it.

"I imagine they were a little restrictive in your fighting?" Genta ventured. "You'd never let yourself get cut so easily otherwise."

Takeru nodded, shaking away his thoughts. "It was frustrating. I wasn't able to move the way I wanted to – the way I _needed_ to. His blade only grazed me but…"

Genta frowned. "It was a little more than a grazing Take-chan. You're going to have a nice scar there. Though Ryunosuke here did a pretty decent job of stitching you up so it shouldn't be _too_ bad."

Takeru's eyes meet Ryunosuke's briefly who had looked up at his name being mentioned. Takeru nodded his thanks. Ryunosuke acknowledged it with his own nod before turning back to his work.

"Anything else?" Genta prompted.

Takeru vividly recalled warning the would-be assassin not to touch Mako, another moment he could not give reason to. The words had just slipped past his lips without any other thought than to keep the man from hurting her again. He remembered her hoarse voice, one full of absolute disbelief, calling out his name before everything had begun to go dark.

His memories brought up the moment his shaking muscles had finally given out on him as the poison savaged his nerves and muscles and he had collapsed on top of her, felt her soft and warm body beneath his, her steadily pounding heart sounding so absolutely _vital_ beneath his ear…

Takeru wrenched his thoughts away from that pathway.

He shook his head. "Everything pretty much goes blank after that. There isn't anything to remember until I woke up and she was there, watching me."

_Watching me and thanking me._

"Hey, Take-chan?" Genta's tone pulled Takeru out of his wanderings and he looked up at the hesitancy in his friend's voice.

"I…may have let some things slip."

Takeru waited for him to elaborate.

"Well, she knows now that I've known you since we were kids." He grimaced as Takeru's eyebrow rose. "And that we're from _Ten no Michi_."

Takeru sighed deeply, feeling suddenly exhausted.

"Takeru?"

"It's okay, she told me as much when I first awoke."

Genta looked slightly surprised but refrained from commenting.

"How…how's her neck?" Takeru asked tentatively after a moment.

Genta looked to Ryunosuke to respond.

"Healing," Ryunosuke answered curtly. "We were lucky."

"Lucky?"

Genta winced. "Apparently it's not the first time…" He elaborated when Takeru look at him inquiringly. By the time he was done, Takeru could only blink in response, words failing him.

"She'll be fine," Ryunosuke assured them firmly. "She's stronger than she looks. She's gone through this before – she knows how to handle it."

Takeru looked at Genta with a raised brow, but Genta could only shrug in response. Takeru didn't know what to think.

There was a knock at the door and Ryunosuke stood up to get it. Genta checked that Ryunosuke was out of hearing before he leaned in close.

"You have another message," he slipped the note to Takeru, allowing him to peruse it thoroughly before retrieving it and stowing it away when Takeru nodded. Genta looked at him questioningly but Takeru only shook his head when voices sounded from the doorway.

Genta glanced over to see the trio returning, Ryunosuke ushering them in. He hesitated for only a fraction of second before he turned to Takeru and murmured so quietly that Takeru almost missed it, his face serious, devoid of its usual humor. "_Trust her Take-chan._ I know you want to, trust that instinct. It hasn't failed you yet."

Takeru watched his friend carefully as Genta jovially greeted everyone with his usual smile in place. He found his eyes wandering to Mako, and felt a jolt pass through him when he found hers were looking right back. They regarded each other silently, a battle of wills raging inside them as each tried to puzzle out where to go from here.

Everything had changed.

One instant, one decision had altered the course of their lives.

And neither was sure if they were entirely ready for it, whatever _it _was.


	9. Love Few, Trust None

**Author's Notes:** Well, it certainly has been a while since I updated this story hasn't it? Not too long I hope, though I have trouble believing that half the year has already passed us by. Just where does that time get to? Enough ramblings, enjoy! Constructive Criticism is always welcomed.

* * *

_**Ceteris Paribus**_

_Chapter __Nine: Love Few, Trust None_

Takeru sighed deeply at feeling nearly like himself again for the first time in days. He hadn't been able to get up off the settee for longer than he had been entirely comfortable with, but both Mako and Genta had stilled his movements with a look. And while he might have been willing to put up with Genta's disapproval, he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to test Mako's. She was stronger and more intelligent than she appeared to be, and held a great deal of power in this place – even if she refused to use most of it.

Ever since his quiet admission to her when he had first woken up, neither he nor Mako had attempted to speak to each other. He suspected it was largely from Ryunosuke's watchful eye as her throat healed than a lack of curiosity. On the contrary, her eyes all but burned with unasked questions and Takeru was still trying to steel himself for the fast approaching day when he knew he'd be confronted with them. The only problem was he wasn't sure how he would answer.

Takeru found that he was…uncomfortable with the idea of lying to her, even if he largely suspected that that keen mine and sharp eyes of hers would detect the falseness in his tone before he could get more than two words out. He couldn't explain it but he felt almost guilty at the thought of lying to this princess – even if she was his enemy. It was becoming starkly obvious that she had enough troubles of her own to deal with. Perhaps he just didn't feel like adding to her burdens? He refused to think of the other reasons – the plethora of feelings and motives he just couldn't seem to find answers to as of late.

And those were dangerous thoughts.

One false step here could spell the doom of them all – those inside the castle and without. He couldn't – _wouldn't_ – risk all of those lives for one woman.

Entire nations were at stake, personal feelings were not allowed to overshadow those by even the slightest degree.

He sighed again as the elegant script arose in his mind's eye once more. Ever since Genta had shown him that note, Takeru had felt a lead weight drop into his stomach. '_Get close to her,_' the note had read, followed by a brief and succinct explanation as to _why_ in case he got it into his head to protest the order, something he would have done had he not seen the logic behind it. The orders hadn't come from an underling nor had it been written by a messenger of the court – the only reason he hadn't disregarded it at first glance.

"You know me too well," he mumbled to the memory before stifling a groan as he made to stand from the makeshift tub that had been placed in the first Princess' rooms.

Takeru had definitely been in need of a through wash after his illness, but as a marked slave no one was allowed to give him much aid in the matter. If he wanted to be clean he was expected to drag himself down to the slaves' quarters and wash up there. Mako had put her foot down on the matter when it had been suggested to her by Genta. When Takeru's childhood friend had asked if she planned on bathing him herself she had flushed a lovely shade of red before calling in the large copper tub and having it filled.

As the First Princess of the Court – and a rather odd princess at that, no one seemed to even so much as blink at the strange request. And as she didn't seem to make outrageous requests on principle, those loyal to her must have known there was a perfectly reasonable, valid purpose to her wish and had it carried out at once rather than the dragging feet some servants were known for.

Takeru bit back a wince as he dried off the still sore area around his newest wound – it was healing remarkably well, but the still tender skin protested at his rubbing.

He studied the clothing that was supplied to him as he began pulling on the layers. It was simple and unadorned by any kind of decoration, but he suspected it was made of a more decent material than most that walked the streets in the market of this kingdom. The navy blue material should have been oppressive in this heat but it breathed extraordinarily well and the uncomplicated design of it made dressing with his still healing arm easier than his own native clothing, which involved several layers and intricate knots.

He had just tightened the chords along the waistline of his trousers when a polite knock sounded at the door before a flurry of red and gold silk swirled into the room. He froze with his hands on the tunic top that still lay upon the table, glancing over to see wide brown eyes meet his own.

Mako stood frozen just within the room, her eyes locked on the half-dressed man standing in its center. She had assumed he'd be done with his bathing by now, and while she _had_ been correct in that assumption, it was alarmingly apparent that she should have waited just a few more minutes for him to _dress._

She felt a flush creep over her cheeks as she dropped her eyes in embarrassment. "I'm sorry!"

Mako cringed at her squeaking voice. She sounded like a flustered child! What was wrong with her? It wasn't like she hadn't seen a man without his shirt on before. Many of the Ladies had their slaves do their bidding in nothing more than ragged undergarments.

She approached him haltingly, her eyes flickering up as fast as she looked away, unsure where to rest her eyesight. "I apologize for interrupting," she continued. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Genta mentioned something about you maybe drowning in the tub if you went through your energy levels too quickly. I am sure it was a jest but…" She bit her lip and studied his face, searching for any signs of weariness. "You are alright?"

Takeru nodded, the dark navy tunic top still clutched in his hands. _Genta_, he frowned inside, knowing his friend was probably doubled up somewhere in laughter at his own prank. He refocused on the young woman next to him and realized with a lurch that she was much closer than he had thought. She was frowning at something intently on his back. He turned his head slightly to see, but couldn't make out what she was looking at so fixedly. All he could see was the red, sheer material of the veil she wore on her head, the gold embroidery delicate and smooth without being gaudy. He felt his muscles lock when her hand rose up as if to touch the bare skin of his back.

Mako's breath caught in her throat as she realized that what she had thought was a strange shadow on Takeru's back was a scar. When she had peered closer she was horrified to find that his back seemed to be littered with them. Some were obviously battle scars, once deep and jagged but had been healed proficiently, leaving behind clean, light marks on the skin. But some of these marks seemed fresher than the others – more recent, still pink and almost angry looking.

She felt nausea rise in her stomach and her hand rose to hover just above the offending marks. She knew what they were from, _where_ they were from, even if she didn't know the exact methods that had been used to contrive them.

"So many," her voice came out in a stunned whisper as her fingertips followed the angry roadmap up his back and towards his shoulders. Her eyes located a line that was still shining bright in its healing, one that started at his shoulder and traced down to his elbow. This time her fingertips gently grazed over the top of the newest line, tracing its path from its beginning to end.

Takeru couldn't suppress the shiver her touch brought to his skin as her cool fingers ghosted over his wound.

Mako jumped as if she had been shocked by lightning, whirling around as fast as she could to cover her heated cheeks with the palms of her hands. "I'm so sorry!"

Flustered, Takeru fumbled with his new clothing as he struggled to get the tunic on as fast as he could, exceedingly grateful for the long sleeves that were common for the men here so that his scars were completely covered. He made a small coughing noise to let her know he was finished when she didn't turn back around.

Mako peeked over her shoulder, her veil covering most of her face as she glanced back at the now clothed man behind her. She met his eyes with a faint flush before turning back around, her skirts shifting gracefully with her every movement. "I was wondering," she hesitated, suddenly unsure. "That is, if you're up to it of course… I thought you might want to get some fresh air."

Takeru watched her steadily, his head tilting slightly in question.

"You have to be feeling rather cooped up in here – I don't think you've been out of my rooms since you were first brought to them, and after being laid up for so long you must be itching to stretch your legs a little." Mako could feel herself rambling, a feeling she wasn't accustomed to and wasn't entirely sure she liked.

"I thought slaves weren't allowed to wander about here."

Mako's eyes widened in surprise at the deep voice that met her ears, a sound she hadn't heard often before and was startled to realize she had missed. Her smile grew, unable to suppress the feeling that raced through her veins as it dawned on her that this was the first time he had truly spoken to her directly.

"Yes," she nodded. "However, they are allowed to go where ever their…mistresses permit." She flushed as she stumbled over the terminology. She fiddled with the simple gold band around her wrist, twisting in back and forth in a sudden fit of nerves.

"I won't force you to go," she promised. "If you do not feel up to it, or if you would rather keep a low profile here in my quarters I would understand. However, you are more than welcome to join me on my walk. I have a place that I go to that is generally quiet and unpopulated by others in the palace; it would give you some fresh air and sunshine that would aid in your healing."

Takeru felt a wry smile tug at his lips. "After the introduction your father made of me in front of your entire court, keeping a low profile is highly unlikely while I remain here."

Mako's ears picked up the meaning behind his words, meeting his eyes in a guarded, wary understanding but neither commented further on the subject. Both knew that there were only two options for him – to escape or to die here. Neither knew which outcome would come to play, only that her father wouldn't ignore his presence for too long, especially if the battles turned ill for her country.

"I…apologize for the manner of your introduction," she said instead. "I am embarrassed to admit it, but I honestly paid little attention to your presentation at my coming-of-age ceremony. I was more concerned about other matters. It was wrong of me; everyone deserves to be noticed."

Takeru felt an eyebrow rise at her admission. "Don't most princesses ignore their slaves until they are needed?"

"I believe you have been here long enough to know that is not always the case," Mako countered. Her smile was quiet, her eyes tired.

Takeru nodded slowly, feeling the supple leather around his neck follow his movements. "Thank you," he began slowly, searching for the right words for this oddest of conversations – a high-born princess outright apologizing to a slave for something she had not even done herself. "I am grateful for having some freedom back, if only in movement." He held up his arms, the lack of clinking metal echoing silently in the quiet room.

Mako nodded, accepting his gratitude without words. She honestly was having difficulty in finding the right things to say. This conversation was so…formal, an exchange between royals of equal footing in mannerisms, even if nothing about their situation indicated such. She was still not entirely convinced he was who all said he should be – she wouldn't believe it until he told her such, and she wasn't completely positive she'd believe it then either.

His stance was defensive, stiff, his eyes were still guarded. He was hiding much, guiding her to more questions for every one she garnered an answer to. Of course, she wasn't entirely being honest and open with him either…

She smiled to hide her thoughts, her hands folded in front of her elegantly. "All this formality has my feet itching to leave these cramped quarters, would you care to join me in relocating to a brighter, more open space, Takeru?"

Takeru hid his amusement at calling her personal rooms cramped, but he could agree that their awkward decorum _had_ made the walls seem to creep in closer than he was entirely comfortable with. Before he could give his actions too much thought, he bowed in the style of his courts, his hands placed firmly at his sides, dipping forward from the waist, "It would be my honor, Princess."

When he met her eyes again, his body tense as he awaited her reaction he found her face to be lit up by a true smile, acknowledging his actions with a deep nod.

"The pleasure would be all mine," she returned, feeling a thrill go through her at recognizing the bow as one from Caelestis Via. She beckoned with her finger and he drew closer as she slipped something out of a concealed pocket within the folds of her skirts. Dangling from her fingertips was a small, silver medallion hanging from a silken chord, a tiny etching finely carved across its surface.

Takeru studied the etching closer, "A bird?"

"A flower actually, though it does look like a bird in flight, doesn't it?" Mako's smile deepened. "I saw a drawing of it once in one of Ryunosuke's books when we were younger and I couldn't get the image out of my head. I took it as my own personal symbol when I was declared old enough to have one." She didn't add that being "old enough" meant that she had survived childhood without perishing from illness or deliberate attempts on her life from both within and outside the court.

"It's called a _Habenaria radiate_," she elaborated. "I think in the common tongue it means a 'White Egret Flower.'"

"_Sagiso,_" Takeru whispered, finally recognizing the depiction.

Mako looked at him in question.

"It's the name for it in my home country," he explained, his voice quiet.

It was Mako's turn to look surprised.

Takeru shook himself to banish the sudden homesickness that set in and focused on the item itself instead. "What is this for?"

"Those who serve their Ladies wear the symbol of their mistress when walking about the women's Inner Sanctum alone," she explained. "It lets everyone know they have permission to be there, _especially _if they're male." She eyed him sternly. "I don't plan on letting you wander around on your own – too many would be quick to take advantage of you – but in case we ever get separated, you'll have it for protection, or what little it will grant you if you're not immediately recognized." She slipped it gently around his head to settle it about his neck, tucking it into the collar of his tunic.

Takeru touched the small medallion through the fabric of his clothing, more than a little stunned that this woman before him kept offering aid and protection when he should have found nothing but spurn, pain and humiliation in this household.

_Trust her Take-chan_, Genta's words echoed back in his ears.

"Thank you." Takeru's voice was humble as he watched a quick smile alight in her eyes before she motioned for him to follow her out the door.

* * *

After so many weeks inside Mako's quarters, Takeru found the sudden open halls to be _too_ spacious. Too easy to hide an enemy behind, one that would be quick to take advantage and dispose of them all too quickly.

He wondered if he was becoming paranoid.

Takeru kept a respectful distance from the First Princess, following behind her at a few paces, but always within her eyesight. The bright red fabric of her skirts danced along with her graceful footsteps, the golden embroidery catching the rays of the sun and making the fabric glow warmly. He marveled at the tops the women wore here – the lack of sleeves would have been downright scandalous in his country. The only time a woman bore her shoulders to a man was if she were his lover, unless she was a woman of the night, then her shoulders were meant to deliberately draw the eyes of a man, beckoning them inside with a sultry smile.

Takeru blinked the image away before his traitorous thoughts could lead him too far down a path he dared not venture.

Mako turned her head slightly to check that he was still close behind her and her small, quiet smile hit him like a sudden punch to the gut. His footsteps never faltered but he felt his heart trip and he cursed himself for acting like a boy who had just caught sight of his first forbidden woman.

A tiny voice in his head wearily acknowledged that for all intents and purposes, Mako _was _a forbidden woman. He couldn't afford her affections – in more ways than one in his current state – and the women of this court were actually _trained_ in the arts of promised passion and false words.

He began to wonder who was crazier – the order from the note to get closer to such a potential woman, Genta for telling him to trust her, or Takeru himself for wanting to do both of his own free will, even when a loud voice inside his head still cautioned him against it, to not dive to readily nor too deep.

Takeru was so lost in his thoughts that he nearly crashed into Mako when she halted suddenly just inside a high-arching doorway that led out into dazzlingly sunshine. Fortunately, long-trained instincts were paying more attention than he and Takeru managed to stop his steps just short of embarrassment and mockery.

He noted that Mako's posture had gone absolutely rigid even as her face appeared to be perfectly serene.

He heard a false, sugary greeting as a small group of Ladies paused momentarily in front of Mako. They didn't give the pretense of a smile; their sneers shoved their noses into the air as if they smelled something strange. And their cold, beady eyes did nothing to hide their contempt as they took in Mako's form before quickly glancing at her traveling companion and dismissing him just as quickly – he was fundamentally beneath their acknowledgement.

"Why, hello _Princess_," a woman in a hideous shade of orange smiled derisively, not even bothering to grant Mako the proper bow afforded to her title. "What brings you so far from your cave? Surely you're not bored with your new _companion_ so quickly?"

The three women behind her snickered openly.

"Perhaps she's trying him out in a new location," the woman standing next to her mocked. Her outfit was such a vivid green it almost hurt to look at where the sun shone on it, casting a sickly hue to her skin.

"Now Ladies," another began, her tone playfully scolding. "Maybe she simply wants to humiliate him further – in front of the entire Inner Sanctum. And afterwards she would invite us all to share him; he can't be a total loss, even if he is our country's enemy, if she would keep herself locked up with him for so long." Takeru wondered if the tremendous amount of gaudy looking jewelry she wore around her neck gave her a backache at the end of the day.

The last woman, one who appeared to be with child, let out a horrified gasp. "Where are his bindings? He's your father's sworn enemy _Princess_. He needs to remain locked up!"

"Now, now," the woman with the overstocked necklaces chided. "We wouldn't want our dear, delicate First Princess bruising from her play, now would we?" She gave the women with her meaningful glances. "Those heavy chains would leave very obvious _marks_ wouldn't they?" She none-too-subtly gestured at Mako's neck where she still hid her healing bruises behind a red gossamer scarf.

Takeru discreetly watched Mako from the corner of his eye, feeling anger racing through his veins. Where these Ladies suicidal or just plain stupid? Mako was the First Princess – she ranked over all of them and could have them punished for their brazen, undignified comments. And he honestly couldn't say that they wouldn't deserve whatever she deemed fit.

Mako however seemed as calm and composed as ever, her features perfectly controlled as she let their insults wash over her like fleeting summer rain.

When they didn't get the reaction they were hoping for, the orange colored woman switched tactics. "I think Father did her a favor. This new one must be refreshing for her after having only that servant of hers that's been following her around like a dog since we were children. She has him trained so well, it was time she practiced her charms on a new piece of filth or else her skills might fade."

The woman whose dress made her look nauseous laughed in a high, irritating pitch. "She's probably lent that dog to the little horse brat so she can finally get in some practice of her own. You _know_ she'll need it if she has _any_ hopes of being married off one day."

"Lady Aaliyah," Mako's tone was composed but held an edge of steel in it. "I _do_ hope you're feeling well today." The woman in green stopped laughing in her confusion. "You look positively ill. Perhaps it is simply the grotesque coloring of your clothing, but I'm concerned your frequent dalliances with the guards upon the Western Gate may have given you trouble that will be hard to hide from our Father. I'm sure you could explain away your morning sickness with a mild illness, but the weight gain will be hard to hide for much longer unless you're betrothed soon. I warned you to take your tea."

Mako shifted her gaze to the pregnant woman. "I understand you are new here and so the weather is not what you are accustomed to Lady, so allow me to forewarn you. Stuffing your dresses with padding will not keep the King's hands off you for very long, and will only serve to make you overheated as the summer's heat increases."

Sharp brown eyes turned to the woman in orange. "I would worry about your own skills Lady Laela. How angry will Father be if you do not live up to his expectations when even the servants laugh about your ungainly advances?"

Takeru watched in fascination as eyes that were usually warm and inviting now reflected cold flint as they lit upon the last woman in the now mortified group. "I wouldn't share pig slop with you Kamilla, let alone another human being. You go through more slaves than the rest of the women in this sanctum combined."

"That's _Lady_ Kamilla to you," the woman snarled.

"I'll call you a lady when you begin to _act_ like one," Mako stated evenly. "You can dress in all the tremendous amounts of gold jewelry you like; it won't blind others to your cruelty and malice."

Takeru tensed as Lady Kamilla's eyes narrowed in hatred, her hand twitching like she itched to either hit the First Princess or get her hands around her neck.

"They're _slaves_," the woman hissed. "They're below even the filthiest, most dire peasants in our kingdom. _That one_," she pointed at Takeru with a sharp nail, "is the sworn enemy of our country! He and his men have killed countless numbers of our people."

"Have we not killed countless numbers of theirs as well?" Mako's brow rose delicately. "Or are you suggesting that we are _losing_ this war?"

The woman twittered behind the two at combat with each other – what Mako suggested was grounds for treason in this kingdom. To suggest that they were losing was on par with proposing that the king was _weak_, that he was unfit to lead the wars, let alone rule.

People had been killed for less.

"You're supposed to _humiliate_ him Princess, not _heal_ him!" Lady Kamilla snapped, her cheeks flaring in color.

Now Mako's other brow rose to meet its twin in surprise. "I had no idea you preferred your men sick and feeble Kamilla. What _unusual_ tastes you have. I, however, prefer someone with a little more stamina."

Lady Kamilla's jaw worked to form a retort but nothing came out but a strangled sound of rage.

"Good day Ladies," Mako gave full courtesies to each as if they had all been simply talking about the weather. She beckoned for Takeru to follow as she led him out into the marvelous, inviting sunshine.

"For your sake I hope someone is watching your back for you _Princess_," Lady Kamilla had apparently finally found her voice. "Next time you're caught unawares, it'll take more than a flimsy scarf to hide the damage."

"Keep walking," Mako whispered as Takeru gave a cautionary glance back to make sure the enraged lady wasn't coming for them with a hidden knife. He was slightly relieved to note that the group of women appeared to be content to stay in the shadows, their piercing glares the only things aimed at Mako's back for the moment.

Takeru cleared his throat, unsure where to begin.

"Not yet," Mako's whisper was more urgent. "If you don't want anyone knowing you've broken your vow of silence, wait until we're further in."

Takeru swallowed his burning questions as he kept pace with Mako, her strides calm and unhurried as she led him through a bright, open courtyard and into a lush, green garden.

The temperature instantly seemed to drop and he relaxed slightly in the cooler air – glad to be away from the intense heat that had begun to burn the back of his neck. He followed alongside her silently until they reached a quiet, secluded garden tucked in a back corner behind a wall of flowering jasmine, a small water fountain burbled merrily in front, blocking the view of the arched entrance from the outside.

Not until they reached an old magnolia tree within the hidden garden did Mako finally halt, releasing a deep, long breath before turning to face Takeru.

"I'm sorry for the way I acted," she began. "I hope I didn't embarrass you." She frowned slightly. "I know it was childish, but I don't tolerate insults against my friends and loved ones in my presence."

Takeru studied her. "Your words were in reaction to what they said about others? Not about you?"

Mako sighed. "I know I should watch my tongue – that it's unbefitting of a lady, but when they talk about anyone I care about…I just get so angry."

If that was Mako angry, he was almost afraid to find out what she'd be like if she was infuriated. Even in her anger she had remained seemingly cool and collected. He wondered what it would look like to see her fury unleashed and pitied the fool who dared to try.

Mako took in deep, steadying breaths, willing her anger away, willing the bite of cruel words and even darker threats to the little box in her mind she shut them in tightly to study later. _Not now. Not here. Not in front of others. _

"Those women seemed intent on causing you harm."

Mako waved his worries away. "Most of them are largely harmless. The only things they can fling at me are insults."

"What about that last one? Kamilla?" He crossed his arms over his chest as if daring her to argue against what had been an obvious, open threat.

Mako shrugged, keeping a firm grip on that box locked inside her. "I wouldn't put it past her to have hired that assassin, or any of the others who have come before." She seated herself gracefully on the soft grassy area around the old magnolia, leaning her back against the soft bark with a quiet sigh of peace. She peeked over at Takeru to see him still standing in the same spot, frowning down at her.

She raised a brow at his stance. "Are you concerned for me O' enemy of our country?" Her eyes were teasing even as her words reminded him sharply of their positions.

"You show a distinct lack of regard for your own safety," he deadpanned. "You'll protect others' reputations before your own, heal those who are your kingdom's foes, and worry more about the health and well-being of those below your station than allowing yourself to heal."

"Shouldn't all those who are born to one day rule a country?" Mako's quiet voice hit Takeru harder than if she had yelled. His arms dropped to his sides.

"I'm not suicidal," she continued in the same soft voice as her gaze traveled away from him to stare off at something only she could see. "I have no intentions of dying anytime soon, not in this place."

Takeru shot her a sharp look as he shifted closer to where she was sitting.

Her lips lifted into an exhausted smile, her voice dropping to just above a whisper so that he nearly missed her words. "If I didn't care about those under my protection…I would have left a long time ago."

"Why not take them with you?" His tone was just as quiet.

Mako's smile was weary. "I can't take an entire country with me now, can I?"

He watched her silently for a long time, hundreds of thoughts racing through his mind before he finally dropped down beside her in the cool grass.

"Once you're healed I'll take you up into the tree," she told him, drawing her knees closer to her chest and wrapping her slender arms around them, tucking in close to herself. "When you're up there, no one can see you; no one can find you unless they know where to look for you. For a few perfect moments you know what it's like to feel safe in your own home…"

Takeru took in her world-weary eyes, the exhausted slump of her usually perfect posture. He leaned back against the tree's trunk and breathed in the light perfume of jasmine as it floated by on a faint breeze, letting the relaxing quiet fill in the silence.

He started slightly when her head dropped on to his shoulder and he bit back a smile as she fought to keep her eyes open.

"Tired?" He teased.

Mako smiled, her ears catching the playful tone of his voice. "Just resting my eyes for a moment," she told him. "Let me know if you see any assassins or horrible ladies headed our way. We should be safe for just a few more minutes at least, especially with the tree to our backs."

Takeru took a moment to marvel that even half asleep she had still positioned them in a manner to be forewarned of any unwanted visitors, while affording them as much protection as she could in the given moment before she nodded off completely.

"Sleep," he murmured, shifting slightly so that she could sleep comfortably on his shoulder without waking with a twinge in her neck. "I'll watch over you."

Mako mumbled something unintelligible in her sleep, a tranquil smile softening her features.

Takeru felt her unguarded smile and sudden trust in him deeply unnerving.

He found his sudden and fervent urge to protect her in this sudden vulnerability frankly terrifying.

His court demanded he get closer to this young princess.

Genta had urged him to trust this odd, strong woman.

And Takeru knew with absolute certainty that he had no trouble following either of them in their insistent desires.

He was also just as sure that the more Mako's trust in him grew, the more profound her devastation would be when he used it to their advantage.

Betrayal stabs deeper in the back than any assassin's knife.


	10. Can Secrets Make Friends?

**Author's Notes: **I struggled with this chapter, and I'm still not entirely sure I'm happy with it. But I best just bite the bullet and get it over with so we can move on into the more "interesting" things, yes? XD Hope you enjoy it anyway. (I'm sorry not much happens). Constructive Criticism is always welcomed.

* * *

_**Ceteris Paribus**_

_Chapter __Ten: Can Secrets Make Friends?_

Mako quietly turned the handle of her door, trying to slip in unnoticed as she gestured to Takeru behind her to follow just as silently.

"Mako!"

Mako winced with a good-natured smile at Takeru before turning to her sister.

"Yes?"

"Where were you? I was getting worried!" Kotoha's hands were planted firmly on her hips in a scolding manner, but her stance was one full of apprehension, not anger.

Mako smiled quietly. "The fine weather was too tempting; I wanted to venture outside."

Kotoha darted a quick, questioning look at Takeru before looking back at her older sister.

Mako caught the look. "I knew you and Ryunosuke would worry if I went about alone so I asked Takeru to accompany me."

"Are you sure that was a good idea, Mako? I mean…"

Mako waved aside her sister's worries. "We came across a few disgruntled Ladies, but as there was nothing they could do, we simply pressed on."

Kotoha's gaze sharpened and she frowned. "Mako, what did they say to you?"

Takeru, who had been watching the exchange with mild amusement, now took a sharper glance at the princess before him.

Mako's eyes started slightly but she held firm to her smile. "It was nothing of importance," she assured her. "Just the usual gossip."

Kotoha scowled in true form now. "_Mako!"_

Mako's smile grew wry. "Impressive frown Kotoha, I think someone's been hanging around Chiaki a bit lately."

Kotoha flushed but held her ground, crossing her arms over her chest. "You need to stop only protecting others, Mako. You need to defend _yourself_ too."

Mako regarded her little sister's tense form for a moment before sighing quietly and stepping forward to wrap her tiny shoulders in a hug. "I'm sorry."

Kotoha relented after a moment, returning the embrace. "I don't want an apology Mako. I want you to promise me you're going to start protecting yourself too."

Mako hugged her closer. "I will try."

Kotoha sighed, blowing loose strands of hair out of her face, knowing that was as close to a promise as she would get at the moment. She felt a teasing smile alight her face, making sure to keep her voice low. "So what were the two of you up to for so long while you were alone?"

"Kotoha!" Mako sputtered, her face flushing in an instant, causing her sister to burst out into laughter.

Takeru watched the entire exchange with a practiced eye. Honestly, he was flabbergasted that Mako's sister had been able to pick up the subtleties that Mako was unable to completely hide away. He had garnered a couple himself, but Kotoha had immediately known that the confrontation Mako had had earlier that day had been an ill one. Had he not been there himself to witness it, he seriously questioned if he would have been able to pick up on the shadows of it the way Kotoha had.

No matter how much he looked, he just couldn't find any overt physical signs. He was startled to find that this frustrated him.

Takeru grumbled to himself inside. What was he getting himself into?

The three turned as one when a firm knock sounded on the door with Ryunosuke making his appearance moments later.

"_Hime_," Ryunosuke greeted formally. "You have a new correspondence awaiting your attention."

Mako's eyebrows rose slightly in surprise. "Already? That was rather quick."

She turned to Takeru with a polite smile, her expression completely closed off. "If you'll excuse us for just a moment." She looked to the door as two more faces poked their way inside. She gestured for them to venture further in. "Please, make yourselves comfortable, we will return momentarily."

Mako motioned for Kotoha and Ryunosuke to follow her into her private chamber, shutting the door firmly behind her and locking it on silent hinges.

Chiaki and Genta exchanged questioning glances before looking at Takeru.

"What was that all about?" Chiaki voiced.

Takeru folded his arms across his chest, his brows pulled down in concentration. "She's remarkably talented at hiding things when she chooses."

Genta grinned wryly. "Sounds a little like someone else I know – _two_ someones."

Takeru leveled his friend with a long glance as Genta put his hands up defensively.

"I'm just saying, is all."

Takeru shook his head quietly. "Any news?"

Genta was immediately serious, nodding to Chiaki to check the doors before fumbling in his pockets and pulling out a few slips of paper, a couple of which fell to the floor.

Chiaki scowled as Genta hurried to collect them. "You're supposed to burn those!"

Genta shrugged. "I doubt many could read our language here, even less so in the Inner Sanctuary. The women here are trained in sexual prowess, not intellectual ability, and the servants aren't taught to read or write."

"Even so," Takeru cut in before Chiaki could unleash his tongue. "Be sure to burn them from now on, just in case."

Genta shrugged nonchalantly. "Okay Take-chan, if you say so." He flipped through the little notes before finding the newest one. "Ah! Here it is."

He dutifully handed it over.

Chiaki and Genta watched the entryways and shadows while Takeru quickly read through the message. He sighed quietly before folding it again and handing it back to Genta who stealthily hid them in a safe, inner pocket.

"What news?" Genta asked.

"It's a message from the top again – that person seems to be writing us personally more and more as of late." He shook his head at the thought before moving on, his voice barely audible in the room. "Apparently there is someone of "great interest" in this court that we are to ferret out."

"Person of great interest?" Chiaki repeated. "Is that good or bad?"

Takeru frowned slightly. "I'm not certain, but it seems that this person has gained the attention of our courts. Someone from Aduro is seeking the aid of our kingdom. We're to keep our eyes and ears out for this person and judge for ourselves if the requests are genuine or simply another ploy against us and our allies."

Chiaki snorted. "It's a trick, obviously. Why would anyone from _this_ country be seeking our help?"

Genta's expression was subdued as he contemplated their newest order. "Do you think it's an average citizen of the kingdom, maybe a scholar? We know how desperate the people here are for help; they're too largely ignored by their king – they'd be willing to risk their life to seek aid, even from the 'enemy'."

Takeru shook his head. "The letters are too high in formality for an average scholar, though one from within the palace could be plausible."

"So how are we supposed to find this guy? Send others to watch over all of the scholars within this place?" Chiaki questioned.

Takeru nodded. "At least the ones whom we've been keeping an eye on – the ones sympathetic to their citizens' pleas and country's ruinous state, and perhaps a few others in power as well who fit the same description."

Chiaki snorted. "That's not very many people Takeru."

Takeru winced slightly. "I know." He looked over at his unusually silent friend. "What is it?"

Genta was studying the closed door on the other side of the room. "What about your princess Take-chan? She seems to fit that bill perfectly."

Takeru felt his cheeks heat. "She's not _my_ anything," he mumbled.

"Ah, that's right. You're _hers_, right?" Genta gave his friend a cheeky grin.

Takeru dragged a hand across his face as he tried to hide his embarrassment, unwilling to even dignify that question with an answer.

Chiaki rolled his eyes at the jab toward Takeru, choosing to ignore most of Genta's words. "I can see your point," he started. "She does seem to fit the description, but like you said earlier Genta, the women here are trained for flirting and deception. If it _was_ the First Princess of this court, then it would be for a con, right? You said it yourself Takeru, she's hiding things – and she's _good_ at it. For all we know, she's been putting on an act this entire time, luring us in, gathering information, and just waiting for the right time to use it against us – catch the network within these walls and turn us into her father to add new, bright red wall decorations for her country."

Takeru and Genta's eyes looked troubled; they couldn't say that the thought hadn't crossed their minds before.

Genta ran a hand through his hair in agitation. "I really hope that's not the case Chiaki. I rather like her – she's different. Besides, Ryunosuke grew up with her, right? She would have had to keep up an act like that almost every minute of every day to fool him, and you can tell that he trusts her judgments, even when they go against his own." He looked at his childhood friend. "We've been around her ourselves for quite some time now, and I haven't seen her change herself just to please someone else or to get her way, she appears rather genuine to me."

He caught Takeru's eye meaningfully. "I stand by what I told you before Take-chan. That's what my gut tells me."

Takeru nodded after a moment, Chiaki looking thoroughly confused at the last exchange.

Genta sighed. "I guess this doesn't solve our little problem though – could it be the Princess or is it someone else entirely?"

Takeru contemplated silently for a moment. "I think it's best if we keep all our pathways open – get the message out to others to be on the lookout for this "person of interest" in seats of power, I'll keep a close eye on the First Princess."

Genta grinned suddenly, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Speaking of that, word amongst the servants is that the two of you were spotted out and about _alone_ Take-chan. Care to share?"

Takeru did his best not to groan.

* * *

Mako's eyes eagerly swept over the newly coded message; it was in the same style as before and Mako took no time in deciphering the encryption.

Kotoha all but bounced at her sister's side in anticipation. "What does it say? Can you read it?"

"I can read it," Mako assured her in a low voice, her eyes memorizing every last symbol before she opened up the brazier across the room and tossed the note inside, watching intently until every last shred of it had disappeared in the fiery depths of the glowing coals.

She turned to her companions with a worried frown. "They are interested in helping, but seem wary to trust us."

"That's understandable," Kotoha replied confidently. "They don't know who we are – your messages could be coming straight from father's desk!"

Mako nodded.

"What do they want?" Ryunosuke asked carefully.

"Proof," Mako sighed. "Proof that we are genuine in our request."

"What kind of proof?" Kotoha's head tilted to the side slightly in question.

"What are they searching for _Hime_?" Ryunosuke continued. "Your identity? Secrets from the inner-palace?"

"A show of faith," Mako replied. "They will trust us, if we entrust our faith in them."

Ryunosuke and Kotoha looked at each other and blinked.

"Such as…?"

Mako sighed and sank down to one of the many cushions piled at her feet, resting her chin in her hand. "They didn't specify. Only that it needed to be a gesture grand enough to secure them in their faith of us."

The three contemplated that statement quietly for a long moment.

"What about sending them one of your personal medallions?" Ryunosuke suggested.

Mako shook her head. "For all they would know, someone could have filched it from me and was sending it along." Her eyes unfocused and she stared at the tapestry hanging from the wall unseeingly. "Besides, I think they'd be even less likely to trust me if they found out who I really was – no one in their right minds would trust us if that truth came to light."

Kotoha sighed, her shoulders dropping slightly. She stilled, her eyes growing wider as a thought occurred to her. "Mako! What about Takeru and Genta?"

Ryunosuke and Mako's eyes immediately lit on the eager girl.

"They're from Caelestis Via, aren't they? They could help!"

Ryunosuke was already shaking his head. "Genta's a cook – a servant here, and Takeru is a slave –"

"He might be the prince of their country," Kotoha countered. "It doesn't matter what he is _here_, he'd be important to _them_, right?"

"I don't know if –"

"Wait," Mako held up her hand to silence them both, her thoughts rapidly running together. "Kotoha might be on to something there."

"I am?"

"Maybe they could help us – help us get to know their country, its culture and its people." Mako's words spilling past her lips as fast as her thoughts appeared.

"Kotoha's right, we _don't_ really know who Takeru and Genta are – who everyone _says_ they are. It's past time we found out, I believe. Time is running short and we can't afford the luxury of delaying this longer just for protocol's sake.

"We know precious little about Caelestis Via." She looked up at Ryunosuke. "If you could gather information on this country from any texts you could find, I would greatly appreciate it. Any other sources too would be most useful."

Ryunosuke hesitated a moment before replying. "What kind of information are you searching for _Hime_?"

"Language, culture, politics – written and oral, if possible." She smiled. "I know you already have enough on your plate, but if you could simply locate the source material and have them brought here, that should suffice."

"But, I didn't think you could read Caelestis Via's language Mako," Kotoha looked at her sister in bewilderment. "How are you going to understand it without Ryunosuke's help?"

This time Mako flushed slightly, her fingers nervously smoothing out non-existent wrinkles in her clothing. "I've been studying."

Kotoha's eyebrows flew up into her hairline. "Since when?"

Mako's flush deepened in its rosy hue. "I had random characters memorized from prolonged exposure, but ever since our new guests… Well, I thought it might be helpful one day."

"Can you understand the oral language yet, _Hime_?" Ryunosuke's face betrayed his worry, but what that worry was, Mako seemed unable to fully grasp just yet.

She shook her head. "No, not yet. I am frustrated in that area – you can't hold a conversation with yourself in a language you're learning. All I've been doing is studying the characters and grammar structure."

"That's amazing Mako!" Kotoha's exuberance burst out so suddenly she was unable to contain it.

Immediately all three pairs of eyes studied the door and the relative quiet beyond it. They waited in tense silence for a moment before relaxing minutely.

"Sorry," Kotoha murmured, embarrassed.

Mako shook her head with a smile. "It's okay, nothing to be worried about it – no one could have figured out any context of the conversation from your words."

"But that doesn't stop sharp ears and minds from wondering what caused it – or from curiosity nagging at them to delve a little deeper," Ryunosuke muttered in warning.

Mako nodded and lowered her voice even further, her words so quiet the beating of a dove's wing would have drowned out the sound. "As we learn more about his country ourselves, I will also begin to inquire about Takeru."

"How?" Kotoha looked perplexed. "Genta?"

"And from Takeru himself."

Kotoha bit her lip. "But what if it _isn't_ true? What if Takeru isn't who everyone says he is? Are you sure he'll even answer you?"

Mako's brought her fingers together before her, forming a miniature steeple and studying them intently. "We will simply have to find out." She glanced at Ryunosuke and Kotoha. "He might be their prince and heir, or maybe he's simply a newly instated General for this war, whatever his position, we should find out as quickly as possible."

Her lips tightened at the edges. "I overheard the women gossiping today – the battles seem to be turning ill for our country. Whomever Takeru really is, Father believes him to be the prince of Caelestis Via – that will be enough to convince him to take more aggressive actions against Takeru soon enough. We know he only placed Takeru with me because of my title; he can't be completely ignorant of the rumors about me. Giving the Prince of Caelestis Via to be a slave to the First Prince of Aduro is a battle of titles and inflicting shame; otherwise he would have been killed or given over to someone more like Kamilla at once."

Kotoha sighed deeply. "I'll help Mako, in any way that I can, but" she bit her lip in worry, "_please_ try to be careful. If Father finds out what we're up to…"

Mako tried to smile reassuringly but even she felt the strain in her facial muscles this time and knew she was fooling no one. "I'll try," she promised.

Kotoha moved to sit next to her sister and hugged her tightly, as if trying to keep her safe, if only for a few moments longer.

Mako rubbed soothing circles in her little sister's back, her eyes finding her childhood friend and confidant. "Ryunosuke?"

Ryunosuke was quiet for a moment longer before he bowed deeply before her. "As always, I will do whatever is within my power to help you in your endeavors _Hime_."

Mako smiled at the formality, knowing it was a hard decision to make for him – his drive to protect her warring with his duty to serve her faithfully.

"If you will excuse me then, _Hime_. I will go check up on our guests."

Mako granted him his permission, leaving the two sisters alone in their privacy.

Kotoha turned to her sister, a question burning in her eyes.

Mako smiled. "What is it?"

"Is this only for the sake of the "show of faith" with Caelestis Via?" She blurted.

Mako blinked rapidly. "What?"

"I – I've been watching the two of you," Kotoha admitted. "Sometimes, the way the two of you look at each other – at first it was like you were trying to figure the other out, trying to figure out what's going on in the other's mind, but now, now it's – softer." She blushed. "You're starting to trust each other Mako, and I'm afraid that this might ruin that… I don't want to see you get hurt."

"I don't intend to get to know Takeru under false pretenses or for the sole purpose of our agenda," Mako admitted quietly. "I do genuinely want to get to know him better."

A flush rose up on her cheeks. "I wasn't lying when I said it was past time I did so – I think you're right Kotoha, we're starting to trust each other now. And – and I'd prefer not to ruin that as well, but…

"I suppose my plans are three-fold." When Kotoha looked at her for further explanation, Mako breathed in deeply to center and calm herself before answering, she could feel her blood rushing faster in veins as she admitted her plans aloud for the first time.

"This plan is to gather knowledge to help us in our endeavor with Caelestis Via, and it is also a very flimsy excuse for me to pull my courage together and finally get to know the guest our father has so cordially graced our presence with." Her blush deepened at her admission for a moment before her eyes fell. "But it is also for _his_ protection."

"His? You mean Takeru?"

Mako nodded. "Prince or not, Father will come for him all too soon…"

She rested her chin on her knees, her voice the quietest of whispers. "I always look out for those under my protection."

"Mako…" Kotoha began, her eyes troubled before, with a sigh, Mako stood.

"We should return; we don't want to be rude."

Kotoha's lips rose in a small smile, happy to see her sister's usual demeanor returning, but still concerned about the shadows lurking behind her eyes.

"Only you would think keeping a guard, servant and slave waiting rude Mako."

Mako's smile this time was more genuine. "I like to go against the grain when I can."

As the two ventured out back into the main chamber, Mako graciously greeted the occupants of her room, nothing in her voice or demeanor hinting at the conversation that had just taken place moments before. As she engaged in conversation with her guests, guiding them to sit down on the other side of the room, Kotoha made to follow with a smile.

She paused momentarily, a flicker of something out of place catching her eye. She peered closer and noted a scrap of paper on the floor behind a decorative vase. She picked it up and opened it, peering inside at the contents.

It seemed to be a mass of scribbles – unintelligible to her in the slightest. She thought about throwing it in the brazier – it _had_ to be one of Mako's notes, one of the coded ones, but perhaps Mako had kept it for a reason, maybe it had yet to be decoded still.

With a wary eye on the young men in the room she discreetly slid it into a pocket of her skirts with a reminder to hand it over to Mako tonight when they were alone and getting ready for bed.

If it _was_ a secret message, she couldn't let the wrong pair of eyes read it.


	11. As If You Have Everything to Lose

**Author's Notes: **Fastest I've updated in awhile. :) Hope you enjoy the new chapter. Constructive Criticism is always welcomed.

* * *

_**Ceteris Paribus**_

_Chapter __Eleven: As if You Have Everything to Lose_

Mako did her best to bite back a smile as Kotoha let off yet another little sigh of impatience. Her little sister's legs all but bounced off the floor as they tried to rid her of her anticipation.

"He'll be here soon," Mako assured her, her eyes focused on the game board as she moved her piece into a better defensive position.

Kotoha looked startled for a moment before flushing prettily and ducking her head. She turned to watch as Takeru selected his piece and moved it confidently across the board. She watched, fascinated, as Mako deliberated for a quiet minute before, with a striking smile, moved her piece.

"Ha! Got you this time!" Mako was all smiles as she looked up at her playing partner.

Kotoha was stunned when a small smile of his own lit upon Takeru's face. Mako too seemed momentarily startled, her eyes fixated on that little quirk of the lips.

Feeling their stares, Takeru's smile turned into an anxious line as his confused and wary eyes darted back and forth between the pair.

"Oh, it's gone," Kotoha spoke out loud.

"What's gone?" Chiaki asked as he opened the door with the barest hint of a knock, as impatient as ever.

Kotoha beamed as he strode closer, all but lighting up the room with her smile alone. "Mako beat Takeru in _Agnitio_ this time," she reported.

Chiaki blinked, unsure how to respond.

"And when Mako got excited about it, since she's been on a losing streak lately –"

"Hey!"

" – she smiled at Takeru and he smiled back! I think that's the first time either of us have seen him smile, since Mako was startled by it too."

Chiaki's brow rose as he looked over at the two board game players, both of whom were now sitting awkwardly at the table together and doing their best not to meet anyone's eyes. "I see."

If he hadn't already been largely clued in to most of the situation, he knew he would have found this pairing not only highly unlikely but probably vastly disturbing – or tragic for its forbidden plausibility. He sighed quietly to himself. In its own right, it was _still_ forbidden – in more ways than one, but why bother voicing that aloud when everyone was more than well-aware of it already. Forcing the problems he knew this would create into the spotlight would only hinder their mission.

Besides, he knew all too well about relationships that were never supposed to be.

He glanced at the petite, boundlessly happy young woman beside him and felt himself being torn in two inside for the umpteenth time that day, let alone that week.

It was going to be hell on all of them when this assignment was over. It was best to enjoy what time they had left before everything fell to pieces around them – if they even survived, of course.

"You mentioned wanting take a walk this evening?" He prompted, trying to distract his own thoughts.

Kotoha hesitated. "Are you finished with your other duties today?"

"Yep, I'm all yours." He flushed as the words left his mouth, mortified at their blatantly open meaning. Chiaki was rewarded, however, by Kotoha's bright eyes and full smile.

"Let's go!" She announced, all too eager to be alone with her crush under the early evening sky as they watched the moon rise.

Recovered from her own embarrassment as she watched the young couple with soft amusement and the slightest bit of envy, Mako rested her cheek in her palm and smiled teasingly. "Take care of her Chiaki, and always remember, I have eyes and ears _everywhere_." Her smile increased as Chiaki's flush grew, even as his eyes watched her warily.

It was good that he knew she was keeping an eye on them – as her older sister, it was Mako's job to make sure Kotoha was as safe and content as was possible within her power and control. But it was also a reminder that though she didn't mind the breaches in protocol, such as the barely announced entrances or lack of greetings to her as the First Princess, she still held sway in her part of the world, and he had best never let his guard down.

That wasn't to say that she didn't trust Kotoha with Chiaki. It was simply a matter that Mako still wasn't entirely comfortable letting Kotoha out of her sight for long periods of time unless she was with Ryunosuke or some other long-trusted servant.

If anything happened to Kotoha on Chiaki's watch… Well, Mako smiled, she supposed Chiaki would let the one responsible feel her wrath as much as his.

Chiaki's shoulders tensed as Mako's smile only grew as she watched him, her thoughts largely enclosed inside her mind. He still didn't understand how Kotoha could read behind that mask so easily.

"Are you sure it is alright if we leave the two of you alone?" Chiaki asked. "Genta is on duty all night, and I don't know where Ryunosuke is."

Mako waved aside Chiaki's concerns. "Ryunosuke is on a few errands for me that will take him quite some time, yes, but we will be fine. I do not intend to venture out this evening."

"You don't have to venture out for others to find you."

Mako flashed him a piercing look as she studied the young man who was so interested in her little sister and wondered, not for the first or last time, how little he said compared to how much he was privy to. When she caught the look of concern on Kotoha's face, however, she smiled instead. "Then it's a good thing I have Takeru here with me, isn't it? After our last entanglement, he's shown that he is more than capable of handling…surprise situations."

Chiaki watched the First Princess of the Court with sharp eyes. Genta was right, this woman was perhaps _too_ quick for their liking. They had better be careful and watch their steps and words around her; he didn't doubt for a minute that she wouldn't be able to piece all the clues of the puzzle together in an instant.

"Mako? Chiaki?" Kotoha looked between the two, feeling the rising tension in the air.

Mako gave Kotoha a reassuring smile before turning back to the game board and re-arranging the pieces for her next match. "Enjoy your evening Kotoha, your guard has you well in hand."

Kotoha nodded before letting Chiaki lead her out the door, but not without a final glance back at her sister in apprehension.

As Chiaki leaned in to shut the door firmly behind them he made sure to throw Takeru a significant look. Takeru nodded with the barest of head gestures – he hadn't missed that Chiaki had relayed the information that he would be alone with Mako for a couple of hours at least. This would be ample time to set their latest orders into motion, at least in so far as Mako feasibly being the possible target for this particular mission. Genta and Chiaki had already informed the other resistance members to be on the lookout for the suspected members of the court and were keeping their eyes out on a few themselves.

Takeru looked from the now shut door to the table in front of him, noting that Mako was nearly finished setting up the pieces for their next bout.

He wasn't sure where to begin.

How did you start up a conversation about delicate information without seeming callous, rude or intrusive? Especially when your status levels were currently worlds apart.

"While I enjoy our battle of wills," Mako started, breaking the silence. "I would like to propose that we add a new layer to this game tonight." She glanced up to see Takeru's look of curiosity and smiled quietly. "As Chiaki so blatantly pointed out, it is just the two of us this evening for quite some time, and while I do not mind the silence at all, I would like to take advantage of this opportunity to talk with you."

"Aren't you doing that now?"

Mako's smile grew and she looked at him with mischievous eyes. "I prefer talking _with_ you, not at you."

Takeru shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He could admit to himself that it was becoming much more difficult with each passing day to stay silent in front of her when others were around. He had to keep up the pretense of self-imposed silence to protect everyone and what they were fighting for, but the more he was around her, the more relaxed he felt in her presence and the easier it was to forget _why_ he was supposed to be quiet.

It was a precarious situation.

"Is there something particular you had in mind that you wanted to discuss?"

Mako started slightly, surprised that he had been able to pick up on the threads in her mind. "Yes," she answered firmly after a moment, settling the last game piece in its proper spot on the wooden board between them. She laced her fingers together and placed them in her lap, straightening her posture as she met Takeru's eyes with her own.

"I have questions I'd like to ask you. Questions I would like honest answers to." Her gaze did not waver. "These answers are important to me, but I am well aware of how difficult some of them may be for you to answer."

Her fingers clenched slightly in her lap hidden beneath the tabletop. "I am just as sure that you have a few questions of your own for me, questions that will be difficult for me to answer." She smiled quietly when his shoulders tensed – a sign that she had hit the nail on the head. She unclenched her fingers and gestured at the board with her hand.

"With every move that we make on the board we shall ask a question. The one being asked cannot move forward until they have answered it, or risk losing one of their pieces for the price of silence." She tried to look confident but she knew that she was letting anxiety about her own proposed rules show on her face as well. "I hope neither of us have to sacrifice a piece off the board. We've trusted each other with our lives so far, even as veritable strangers. It is past time, perhaps, that we get to know each other."

Mako left out defining exactly what they actually were now that they weren't technically "strangers." She was having an exceedingly difficult time giving a name to it herself and doubted that anyone else was able to either.

Takeru was quiet, contemplating both her body language and her words. What she suggested was exactly the kind of opportunity he had been looking for, but Mako was correct in that the answers given could be as difficult to give as the questions asked.

Finally, a little hesitantly, he nodded.

Mako felt the blood in her veins begin to rush a little faster, but it was now or never. They couldn't turn back now.

"Go ahead, make the first move," Takeru offered. "You won the last bout; you have the right to start this one."

Mako took a deep breath to steady herself before she made her opening play. As the quiet _clack_ of her piece settled in its new place she voiced her first question.

"You and Genta are both from Caelestis Via – _Ten no Michi_ – yes?"

Takeru raked his eyes over the board briefly before selecting his piece. "Yes," he answered before moving it and looking up at her. "I thought you already knew that?"

Mako smiled. "I did, but I wanted to settle it once and for all – hearing it directly from you." She looked at the board. "You have to ask a question before I can move."

Takeru deliberated, hesitant. "The Ladies we encountered the other day, they mentioned a 'horse brat' at one point, this person would be…?"

"They were referring to Kotoha," Mako's eyes grew dark in remembrance, anger flaring in her blood. "Her mother was from a nomadic tribe – quite the beauty from what I have heard. Kotoha's mother was the tribal leader's daughter, a princess in her own right amongst her people. But as you have seen, _some_ believe that Kotoha's only 'real royal lineage' comes from our father." She moved her next piece across the board with a little more force than she had intended. "Ridiculous."

Takeru winced, almost wishing he could take the question back. It was obviously a touchy subject for Mako, but then again, he supposed this entire conversation was going to press on buttons they'd normally feel were best left untouched.

"How do you and Genta know my language?" Mako asked, her voice softer than before, her eyes full of curiosity as she pushed past the flare of anger.

Takeru hesitated, unsure if he should answer or if he would be the first to keep his silence.

"I was taught," he finally conceded after a moment of deliberation. "From a young age." He took his time before selecting his next piece and shifting its position. "Genta learned through his own self-study, his interactions with people, and my help."

"Can you understand my native language?" He questioned her back.

"The language of _Ten no Michi_?"

"Yes."

Mako frowned slightly. "Not as well as I'd like. I understand a few words, a handful of phrases – we aren't taught much then what is necessary for a high-born Lady. However," her cheeks flared in embarrassment. "I have used my position sometimes to insist that certain things were necessary for me, such as learning how to at least be able to greet others of nearby or important countries." Her grin was sheepish. "They are usually pretty hard-pressed to refuse my requests.

"Was that your question then?"

Takeru gave her a small smile. "I suppose so, yes." It hadn't been his intentional question, just a curiosity, but he wouldn't go back on the rules and try to ask another. "Your move."

Mako studied the board, selected her piece and slid it into place. She hesitated, biting her bottom lip briefly before deciding to plunge in head first. "Are you a common soldier who was put into place to pretend to be captured while the real prince is still out there – somewhere?" Mako gestured toward the window and the world outside it.

He wasn't sure if the question was entirely fair – it had several different layers to it, but he answered as honestly as he could. "No." He moved his piece.

Mako realized her mistake in her questioning when he didn't provide any further information to clarify and grumbled quietly to herself. She still didn't really have an answer.

"Why does Ryunosuke call you '_Hime'?"_

"It means 'princess' in his mother's native language – your native language, I believe." She watched as Takeru nodded in confirmation. "She was originally from _Ten no Michi_ before she came here with Ryunosuke. He still maintains a bit of its usage.

"I picked up a lot of what I know from your language from him, actually. If you have more questions on that particular subject though, I would prefer if you asked him directly."

Takeru shook his head and they resumed play.

"Y-your scars," Mako stammered with a soft voice, her shoulders tensing. "How did you get them?"

Takeru grimaced and his eyes stayed fixed on the board. "Which ones?"

"All of them…any of them."

Takeru sighed quietly inside and he tried to pick his words carefully. "Some are from training, stupid mistakes, battle." He glanced up to see her watching him intently. His voice dropped. "Some are from when I was caught and…after."

"After?"

He nodded. "My handlers felt my silence was an act of defiance – which it was and still is. But they also felt I should be…_re-educated_ for my new…position." He watched the color drain from Mako's face and wished he could take his words back.

As her eyes fell, her hands slid up to her elbows, hugging her arms to herself as if trying to ward off a sudden chill. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Don't be. I'm sure you didn't even know I was here until I was…presented to you, let alone the kind of care given to enemies caught in the midst of battle."

"That's not entirely true."

Takeru kept his counsel his curiosity piqued and waited for her to gather her thoughts and put them into words.

Mako stood up from the table, walking away from it and stopping in front of the window, suddenly feeling the need for fresh air. "I've never been down their personally, but I've heard the rumors." Her gaze drifted to the outside world. "I've heard the gossip amongst and from the servants. I might even be able to do something about it if I tried."

"It probably wouldn't do any good," Takeru cut in, feeling the need to rid the shadows growing behind her eyes. "Kingdoms, countries, tribes…they all have their own ways of dealing with criminals – it's something that has been going on long before we were born, and will probably continue long after we pass. It's unfortunate but it's reality."

"That doesn't mean I have to agree with it."

"No," he acquiesced. "But it does bring up the question of why you would go so far to even consider a war criminals comfort. Why is it that someone in your position talks to those who serve you like equals? You were raised in a country that does not hold that ideal in any form outside of what it can gain for the individual wielding that leniency."

Mako's smile was bitter as her eyes watched the sun setting outside the window. The dark red of the sun's last glow slipping behind the deep violet and midnight blue of night. "Are you asking if I have ulterior motives to treating Kotoha as a sister of equal status? Or Ryunosuke as a long-time confidante? Or are you asking why I treat a war criminal, now a named slave, as a human being?"

Takeru waited, letting the silence build until Mako sighed deeply, her shoulders sagging in what almost looked like defeat.

"I suppose I should have expected to see that question coming…" Mako's eyes stared out to the horizon, seeing much more than the setting sun and its brilliant array of colors. "I treat Kotoha like a precious little sister because she _is_ one. I treat Ryunosuke like a childhood friend because he _is_ one. I treat you like a person who matters because you _are_ one. I can't explain why beyond that."

She sighed again, her head leaning back to rest against the window's edge. "If you're asking for ulterior motives then my answer is this: don't we all have one in some fashion?

"I don't get along with my other siblings or 'family' members as you yourself have witnessed. They hold too much of my father's ideals." She shrugged. "Perhaps I have more of my mother in me. But it's also probably from Ryunosuke's mother who watched out for me before she passed and then Ryunosuke after her. His mother loved us and tried to raise us with her ideals, her love and support. Ryunosuke has continued this.

"I don't have many friends here. I am considered…peculiar to most." Her smile was crooked. "I think even the servants consider me an amusing oddity most of the time." She shrugged off her thoughts.

"I love Kotoha and Ryunosuke. They're my family; I don't want to lose them. And so, I will do whatever it takes to protect them. As for you," she glanced briefly at him, a crease forming between her brows as she did so, "I'm not sure when it started. To be perfectly honest, I was less than pleased that you had been placed into my keeping at first. I thought you might be one of father's tricks, a way to get someone on the inside."

"Do you think the same now?"

Mako shook her head. "No," her voice was soft. She looked up when she heard him move, the grace with which he did so never seemed to stop surprising her. She studied him for a long time, gathering her courage.

When she finally spoke, her voice was quieter than before. A sound that would only reach his ears. "Are you Shiba Takeru? The prince of _Ten no Michi_?" She watched him, every minute movement, but he only copied her movements and stared out into the new evening as the stars gathered in the skies. He was silent for so long she gave up on an answer, her eyes straying back to the darkness outside.

"..yes."

Mako's eyes widened, her heart skipping a beat at the admission. "It's true then? You're really him?" Her voice a strained whisper.

His answer was a halting nod.

"Were you captured on purpose?"

"No," Takeru shook his head. "I had never planned to get caught; I was taken by surprise in an ambush." His smile was humorless. "It would have been too risky to try getting caught on purpose – I could have been killed in route here. I _should_ have been killed once I got here, if not in the dungeons as they tried to extract information from me, than as a grand display of power by your king." His expression turned dark and his mouth twisted. "I should be a rotted, baking corpse on your wall – a vivid warning to all of Aduro's enemies."

Mako couldn't suppress the shudder this time; the images conjured in her mind all too real. Something inside her deeply rejected these vibrant pictures, even though the information wasn't new, had in fact had the very same thoughts herself. She pitied the poor souls who were put on such grand display, but she had never felt her blood turn to ice as she thought about Takeru's broken body placed up there amongst them.

Takeru looked over and noted that she looked faintly nauseous. "I'm sorry," he apologized immediately. "That was too much."

Mako shook her head, as much to negate his unneeded apology as to rid herself of the horrifying images and baffling feelings they brought. She turned to face him, needing to feel his solid presence even though he stood so close she could nearly feel his body heat. Her hand reached out to softly rest on his forearm, heat racing through her chilled fingertips and shooting up her arm at the touch.

Takeru stared at her hand on his arm, stunned before he looked back up at her, noting the true sincerity shining from the depths of her eyes and his heart began to beat at an ever-increasing rhythm.

"I can't imagine what it's like. To be separated from your family, your friends…everything you've ever known and forced into a foreign land where you expect nothing but torture and death. Only to be," she flushed faintly, "to be forced to follow the whims of a Princess – a woman – the daughter of your hated enemy." Her eyes dropped to the floor, unable to hold his unblinking gaze any longer. "I'm so sorry."

Takeru reached out with a gentle hand and hooked his finger under her chin, urging her to look up at him again.

Mako felt her heart begin to pound in her chest in surprise. He had never touched her like this before, so intimately – all the previous encounters had been out of necessity, guided by his natural instincts to protect. This was all so new to her so…foreign.

She felt herself leaning forward, her body tensed with expectancy as if she stood at a cliff's edge and knew that the thrill of it would be worth the war inside herself between trepidation and exhilaration.

Takeru drew closer to her in response, a silent battle of arguments rising in his head over the many reasons why this wasn't a good idea versus the plethora of new and unnamed feelings that arose whenever he was near her.

They knew they were severely testing the line they had firmly drawn in the sand, but…

This would be harmless, right?

This was just to satisfy curiosity, to quiet the unending wondering in the back of their heads.

It would rid them of the temptation that had grown between them, the one that they swallowed back daily and buried in the deepest corner of their minds.

Takeru leaned in, so close now they could feel the breath of the other on their lips. The anticipation and anxiety flooded through them in a wild torrent that was both thrilling and terrifying.

It would be one kiss – that was all.

A brief meeting of the lips to settle the quiet voices both inside their heads and without.

It would prove to themselves and to others that what they thought they felt were just playful tugs of the imagination – a passing fancy and nothing more.

It was just the lure of the forbidden. One quick encounter and they would _know_ that the temptation was easily overrun by the firmness of the mind.

It would be over as quickly as it was begun, with nothing more to tease at their dreams both sleeping and wakeful.

Simple. Clean-cut. Over and done.

A harmless experiment.

But as Takeru's lips touched Mako's, the physical sensation rapidly gave way to something more – two great forces melding into one, like the land and sky meeting on the horizon.

Indistinguishable.

The rush of discovering a part of themselves they hadn't even known was missing.

They lost themselves in the sensation, Mako's gentle fingers threading their way through Takeru's hair as his warm hands settled around her waist, softly urging her closer.

The constant fear, uncertainty, and pain washed away for one breath-taking moment as they forgot about the world around them; the harsh, unforgiving world that lay just beyond the closed door.

Everything vanished beneath a fragile peace that they would have been content to linger in had the door not swung open on near-silent hinges and the warm, comfortable silence been shattered by Ryunosuke's cry of outrage.

"_Hime!_"

The two jumped away from each other in an instant, a flush rising on both of their faces as much from getting caught as the intensity of the feelings that had swept them up to leave the world behind.

Genta stepped in right behind Ryunosuke, having caught the kiss himself. "Well Take-chan, I'd say your second kiss was definitely livelier than your first."

Ryunosuke was fuming where he stood.

To add more chaos to the scene, Kotoha and Chiaki chose to enter Mako's quarters right at that moment, having finished their walk as the air turned cool with the setting of the sun.

"Mako?" Kotoha prompted, noting the awkward tension in the air and Ryunosuke and Genta all but standing in the doorway.

Doing her best to keep her dignity intact as her heart beat furiously in her chest, Mako strode over to Kotoha and grasped her by the arm. "If you'll excuse us, gentlemen, I need to talk to my sister in private." She quickly led her to her room, shutting the door firmly on all the staring faces.

Chiaki still stood in the doorway, thoroughly confused. "What happened in here while we were gone?"

Genta's grin only widened. "I believe I'll let Take-chan fill you in," he told him, patting him on the shoulder as he walked by. "I think Ryunosuke needs a little, ah, fresh air." He forcefully directed the still irate servant out the door.

Only when the door was shut behind them did Chiaki look back at Takeru, his eyebrow rising in silent question.

Takeru remained where he was by the window, leaning against it in much the same way Mako had been earlier. He watched the stars gathering in the sky, the faint flush still present on his cheeks the only thing breaking through his returned stoic façade as he murmured, "They walked in on us at an awkward moment."

Chiaki's mind raced forward. "What kind of awkward moment could get Ryunosuke so steamed? Were you touching her inappropriately or something?"

Takeru leveled him with a glare.

Chiaki grinned back mischievously. "You're not giving me much to go on here you know, so unless you were caught kissing or something I can't see why he would be so – ah." He saw the flush rise further on Takeru's face.

"Did you get it out of your system then, Takeru?"

There was a long silence before Takeru sighed and shook his head. "I wasn't even aware it was in my system to begin with until…"

Chiaki leaned back against the wall he stood in front of, crossing his arms over his chest before darting a glance at the closed door to the girls' room. "Yeah," he muttered quietly, I know the feeling."

* * *

Genta sighed in exasperation. "It was just a _kiss_ Ryunosuke. Calm down."

He watched as the furious servant tried to place a permanent path in the hallway with his agitated pacing, unable to keep still for a moment.

"It's my duty to protect her," he hissed back, trying to keep his anger contained and his voice low. "You know as well as I that this could never be – she's too kind, too giving – the truth would shatter her beyond repair if the two of them get involved!"

Now it was Genta's turn to frown, all traces of his usual mirth gone. "Do you think Takeru is trying to hurt her on purpose?"

It was Ryunosuke's turn to sigh in exasperation as he waved the comment away. "No, I don't think he'd deliberately set out to be malicious, but that's what will make this hurt all the worse when it ends.

"We can't let anything _start_ because it will _have_ to end, one way or another." He leveled Genta with an even stare, as he finally stopped his pacing and held his ground. "Tell him to _back off_ and leave her alone. I don't care if his intentions are pure, or if someone on your side is ordering him to get closer to her for the sake of – "

He caught Genta's wince and felt the anger renew in his blood, now beyond coherent words.

Genta did his best to try and calm him down again, his voice an urgent whisper. "He was told to get closer to her, yes, but not make her fall in love with him or anything. It's just to keep an eye on her." He tried to grin in reassurance. "Stop worrying! If anything, it's probably just a harmless fling – a flirtation. If everything goes according to plan there won't even be _time_ for a romance to develop between them. They're just starting to _talk_ to each other!"

Ryunosuke let Genta's words sink in for a moment. "You'd better be right," he muttered mutinously.

* * *

"I'm scared Kotoha – it wasn't just a kiss. It felt like..." Mako searched for the words and came up empty-handed. "It just felt like something more, like time stopped for a moment. I felt…"

"Safe?"

"Yes," Mako answered softly, looking down at her feet.

Kotoha smiled gently and wrapped her older sister in an empathetic hug. "For someone who hasn't been able to let her guard down since she was a child, I expect that feeling _would_ be rather terrifying."

Mako returned the hug with fervor, almost clinging to her sister in support. "It's not just that," she whispered. "It's – this cannot _be_. We have too much we are gambling with already – _lives_ are at stake. I can't afford to be distracted by _anything_ right now."

"I think I love Chiaki."

Mako's eyes widened, stiffening in her sister's embrace for a moment before pulling back to look at her flushed face, startled by the abrupt confession. "What?"

"I know how you feel Mako," Kotoha continued. "Chiaki's a palace guard and I'm a princess, albeit a minor one, but you know father will end up marrying me off as someone else's second or third wife one day." She smiled forlornly, her eyes glimmering with unshed tears.

"You know, I've daydreamed about running away with him," she continued. "Like in one of my books. But I don't know how _he_ feels, and I don't want to leave you here all alone in this place Mako."

Mako felt warmth surge through her heart at her sister's confessions. "Oh Kotoha." She stroked the younger girl's hair in soothing motions. "When did you grow up so fast?"

Kotoha let out a small giggle. "When you weren't looking?"

Mako smiled back. "So I take it you've long since had your first kiss by now?" She felt more than heard Kotoha's answer as her sister nodded against Mako's shoulder.

Mako sighed, a brief stab of hurt passing through her at not being told as soon as it happened, but immediately pushing the feeling aside. "Men are such trouble, aren't they?"

This time Kotoha's body shook with giggles, breaking their embrace as they stood facing each other in mirror-image smiles. She wiped away at the tears that had threatened to fall.

"What do we do Mako?"

There was a long beat of silence. "I don't know," Mako's answer was hardly more than a whisper. "It feels like things are about to start happening fast now – changes that we might not be as prepared for as we thought."

Kotoha bit her lip, her eyes shining with worry and traces of fear. "Mako? When Pluvia, Caelestis Via, and all their allies get here…what will happen to us?"

Mako reached out to tuck a stray, curled lock behind her sister's ear. "I don't know," she admitted quietly. "We're the daughters of the King – their enemies, potential threats should we ever get the idea in our heads to seek revenge for our Sire and kingdom. But they may also see us as women – uneducated in anything but our," she scowled, "_sexual prowess_ and thus maybe too unintelligent for much else."

Kotoha snorted. "You're far from unintelligent Mako, and we're hardly knowledgeable about..." She flushed at the idea.

Mako smiled at her sister's innocence. "They won't know that," she told her calmly. "They'll view us all the same in the chaos and aftermath of battle. Those who don't put up a fight will be rounded up, possibly questioned…

"Depending on the country, some of the women may be given over as…rewards to the men for their valor in the fight."

Kotoha's shoulders dropped. "I guess I don't have to worry about Father marrying me off to someone then."

Mako frowned, wishing she could lie and comfort her sister. "Enjoy your time with Chiaki," she told her. "If you truly love him – that is a rare gift for us. Commit every moment to memory and hold it locked safely away in your heart where no one can touch it."

"As a soldier of Aduro, he probably wouldn't last the night after they take over, would he?" Kotoha's voice was small.

Mako hesitated before answering, her voice soft as it held all of the sympathy in the world. "They would most likely kill him, yes."

The tears Kotoha had fought back before now spilled over. "Mako?"

Mako felt a fierce ache rush through her at the sight of her sister's grief and an unshakable determination course through her in its aftermath. She reached out and wiped away her sister's tears, her eyes bright as a plan began to formulate itself in her mind. "I'll do what I can Kotoha," she fervently whispered. "We'll figure something out. I promise."

Kotoha's smile was watery but there all the same. "What about you and Takeru?"

"I…I'll handle it when the time comes."

Kotoha sighed. "I wish I was as strong as you Mako."

"You're stronger than you realize," Mako assured her. "Now, let's get ready for bed – it's been a long day."

Kotoha gave her sister a quick, strong hug in thanks before going through the usual nightly routine.

Mako watched her from the corner of her eye, affirming her desire to at least let her little sister escape from this nightmare with at least some happiness and security.

_If Kotoha loves Chiaki, then I need only find out his feelings about her. If he loves her too – maybe in the chaos we can smuggle them out and they'll eventually find happiness together, living ordinary, everyday lives. It wouldn't be easy, by any stretch of the mind, but they'd figure it out; they're strong, quick thinkers, and with Pluvia reuniting the countries back as one, the livelihoods of the citizens of this kingdom will markedly improve. They'll find work, start a home, a family, and find their own corner of peace in this mad world. _

She lifted the covers and slid in next to her sister on the large bed, reaching out to draw down the sheer curtains around them to block out most of the oil lamps' light.

"Night Mako," Kotoha mumbled, her exhaustion catching up with her fast.

"Sweet dreams," Mako whispered back.

She watched her sister's breathing as it evened out into deep sleep.

"You'll be happy one day, I swear," Mako told her dreaming form. _Even if it's far away from here. Even if I'm no longer here to see it._

She heard words echo in her head.

"Yes, I will handle it," she whispered to the dark before rolling over and staring up at the ceiling above her. "Like I always have."

_I'll do what's right for everyone, even if – _a vivid image of her shared kiss with Takeru flashed before her eyes and she felt a sharp tug at her heart, still unable to name the feelings it brought with it.

In the dark and stillness with no one to witness it, Mako could finally give voice to her own deepest thoughts, her carefully crafted mask slipping away under the shadow of night.

"This kingdom will cease to exist, its citizens will begin to prosper once more."

She glanced at her sister's slumbering form. "You'll have children and grow old beside the one you love."

A sharp pain lanced through her heart as she remembered gentle hands and warm lips. "He'll go back to his own country and become a wise and fair ruler. And I…

"I won't be around to witness it." She brought her arms up to cover her face, giving in to her fear and disparity for just a moment. The box she has sealed it all away in cracking open the slightest degree.

Mako knew, deep down inside, in a place she would hide from her sister forever, that the chances of her surviving this outcome were all but non-existent. If anyone from Aduro found out she was staging a coup she would be killed on the spot. If that information came out _after _the coup then they would find her and enact their revenge all the same.

It was all simply a matter of time.

As First Princess of Aduro she would be a prime target for Pluvia and their allies as well. They would never trust her because of that very title – she would always be a suspected, potential enemy.

No, there was no were to run, nowhere to hide, even if her pride would allow such a thing.

She had heard someone say once that you could have anything you wanted, so long as you were willing to give up everything for it – even your life.

And that's what this would cost.

Her life, in exchange for the happiness of her country and its citizens.

She told herself it was a small price to pay.

Mako scrunched herself into a tiny ball as the enormity of what she was trying to accomplish threatened to overwhelm her and the almost crippling fear it caused stole her breath away.

"They'll be safe," she muttered to herself over and over again like a mantra. "It will be worth it, they'll be safe."

As the unending cycle of words fought back against her fears, they finally lulled her to sleep.

In the place between dreaming and awake, memories of soft lips on hers and a warm embrace brought back that fleeting feeling of safety and she relaxed into gentle dreams.


	12. Stepping Up, Stepping Forward

**Author's Notes: **Huzzah, three chapters up within two weeks time! :3 Chapter Thirteen will take longer to get here though... Sorry about that in advance. Also, this chapter is much shorter than the previous ones. Ah well. I hope you enjoy it anyways. Constructive Criticism is always welcomed.

* * *

_**Ceteris Paribus**_

_Chapter __Twelve: Stepping Up, Stepping Forward _

Ryunosuke now watched Mako and Takeru like a hawk, but his worries were unfounded as the two were so embarrassed that they kept a safe distance from each other. Even their _Agnitio_ game remained unfinished on the table.

Genta thought the entire situation was as amusing as hell.

"You know Ryunosuke," he started in with a cheeky grin, unable to resist the slight jab. "I never had you pegged for the Mother Hen role."

Chiaki snorted openly and Kotoha covered her mouth with her hands in an attempt to bite back her sudden fit of giggles.

Ryunosuke turned to glare at the troublemaker.

Heedless of the warning, Genta pushed on. "What are you going to do when she gets married, huh? Ward off her husband?"

"If I have to," Ryunosuke all but growled, his eyes darkening at the thought.

Genta and Chiaki looked at the young man before them with startled expressions when they realized he was serious.

"Mako's likely to be sold off to the highest bidder," Kotoha explained in a quiet tone, making sure her voice couldn't carry to her older sister who sat on the far side of the room, engrossed in one of her books. "She's Father's best bargaining chip when it comes to creating allies. He's already promised her hand to several men of important countries, but hasn't made a decision yet. He's waiting to see who will offer the most for her in return."

"Do you know who any of these men are?" Chiaki inquired casually, as much out of his own curiosity as for the savory tidbit of information.

Kotoha shrugged. "That kind of information isn't shared with us. We're supposed to just 'sit here and make ourselves look pretty.'" She scrunched her nose up in distaste. "Father's other daughters see it as a high honor to be chosen for such an important role, but many of the men Father sees as useful to him are…"

"Assholes?" Chiaki filled in for her when she couldn't find the right word.

Kotoha started at the language and Ryunosuke shot him a look of warning, but Kotoha quickly recovered her smile grim. "In short, yes." She watched Mako as her older sister flipped the page, her eyes devouring every word, heedless of the rest of the world. "The rumors say they are as ambitious and unyielding as Father. Many are as old as him too, with a harem of wives already themselves."

"Cheery place, this," Genta muttered.

"Mako is…different than most of our other sisters," Kotoha continued. "She's stubborn, willful, and intelligent – not the kind of wife most men in power are looking for."

"They want a wife who will obey their every whim without question, not an equal who will stand beside them," Genta stated more than asked.

Kotoha nodded.

"What would happen if your sister was sold off to one of them?" Chiaki asked.

Kotoha bit her lip, afraid to give voice to her fears.

"They would probably do their best to break her," Ryunosuke cut in, his voice an emotionless monotone. "She's strong so it would take some time – a few years would be my best guess, but they would ultimately succeed."

There was a heavy, uncomfortable silence that followed. Everyone shifted in their seats, subconsciously trying to rid themselves of the feeling.

Takeru, who had been sitting close enough to listen as it was as far from Mako as possible in the confines of the room, felt a flare of anger rise in his chest. He couldn't – _wouldn't_ imagine those keen, dark eyes and gentle smile broken down until she was nothing more than a living doll – some decrepit old man's play thing.

_That's not what you're here for,_ a voice inside him reminded him sharply. _These kinds of things happen all the time, you know that. It's unfortunate but…_

His hands fisted at his sides. _But this time it was different_, he insisted to that incessant voice.

It was one thing to hear about different countries' customs and another thing to actually watch them play out right before your eyes.

Daughters being sold off to pay the prices of their parent's decisions? Yes, he'd heard of it, had felt the disgust toward the practice and had even felt sympathy for the poor girls. But to get to know one of those girls, one who had saved your life, one that had treated you with supreme kindness where you expected to find nothing but abhorrence…it was another matter entirely.

"What about Kotoha?" Chiaki asked, glancing down at the petite girl beside him.

"She'll become somebody's second or third wife compared to Mako's status as a first wife, but the prospects as to who her husband will be are largely the same as her sisters'," Ryunosuke informed him bluntly.

Chiaki felt his blood boil in his veins and struggled against the sudden urge to hit someone –_ hard_.

"It's okay," Kotoha's eyes were downcast. "We've known our fates since birth. There isn't much that can change it."

"This is stupid," Chiaki muttered before making the rash decision to grab Kotoha's hand, turn on his heel abruptly and all but drag her out the door with her stammering his name behind him.

All the room's occupants stared after the pair in surprise, but only Mako's face held bright eyes and a knowing smile, the abrupt commotion having pulled her from her studies. She wasn't sure what they had all been talking about to spur Chiaki forward like that, but she couldn't help but feel grateful for whatever had caused it. She'd have to remember to ask Ryunosuke about it later.

With a meaningful glint in her eyes, Mako returned to her book, more determined than ever to absorb as much information as she could in the shortest possible amount of time.

* * *

Kotoha did her best to stay at an even pace with Chiaki, not wanting to throw those around them into suspicions as he led her further and further away from her sister's quarters, never once wavering in his determined stride.

It wasn't until he pulled her into a secluded sandstone hallway, devoid of any other visible bodies, that he finally halted.

"Chiaki?" Kotoha finally prompted when he continued to stand with his back to her, but his grip on her hand remained solid. "What's going on?"

"Is it true?" His voice was a harsh whisper as he fought to keep his voice down so as not to attract unwanted attention.

"Is what true?" Kotoha asked, puzzled. She couldn't for the life of her figure out what had sparked such a fury in him.

"You're supposed to be sold off to some guy old enough to be our grandfather to be just _one_ of his many wives," he stared, biting out every word. "And you're _okay with it_?"

Kotoha's eyes widened in sudden realization. "You know how this country works," she answered. "You were born here too so you know how the King is." She mistook his flinch for another sign of his anger. "You know that if nothing in this country changes it will continue to operate as it always has. _You know that_."

Chiaki bit back the words that threatened to spill from his mouth. The words of how no, he _didn't_ know – hadn't known, hadn't _cared_ because this had just been just the enemy country, one that needed to be overturned so that its citizens could be rescued from the tyranny and terror they lived under.

He hadn't _known_ that when he'd met her, this tiny, naïve, tender-hearted young woman, that she would change his world like someone had turned on the colors in the world for the first time.

He hadn't known what kind of life had awaited her if nothing changed; that she had resigned herself to such a fate long ago.

He hadn't known.

And _he_ was not "okay with it."

Chiaki's grip on Kotoha's hand tightened, her only sign of warning, before he spun around and pulled her toward him in the same instant, enveloping her in a fierce kiss.

Kotoha's eyes went wide from the shock. Their previous kisses had been almost shy, tentative, but now he was kissing her as if the world were ending tomorrow. Butterflies swarmed in her belly and the blood in her veins sang as she began to meet his passion with her own.

They surfaced for air some time later.

"Are you really _okay_ with it?" He asked, his voice almost a growl as he fought to catch his breath.

"No," Kotoha shook her head, her forehead resting against his.

"They why?"

She pulled back and met his confused eyes with forlorn ones of her own. "Unless something drastic changes, I don't have a choice, Chiaki."

He reached out to play with a lock of her curls, his fingers gliding through the soft strands as if memorizing the texture of it, his expression intent.

"Chiaki?"

"Something will change," he vowed to her fervently. "I won't let some fat, old creep take you anywhere. I don't care who your father is."

His fingers threaded their way through her hair until his hand rested at the nape of her neck and drew her in gently for a soft, lingering kiss.

"I'll protect you," he promised against her lips. "I won't let them take you away from me."

Kotoha's answer was to pull him as close to her as was physically possible, daring anyone, even her father, to try and pull them apart now. It was a reckless thought, but a challenge she would fight for all the same with every breath she had left in her.

* * *

"If that's to be the Princess' fate," Genta asked Ryunosuke softly in the wake of Chiaki and Kotoha's sudden departure. "Why be so overly protective of her now? Shouldn't you be more worried about later?"

"It's exactly because of her future that I'm overly protective now," Ryunosuke answered curtly. "I want her to be as happy as possible _now_ before she forgets what being happy _is_." He watched his princess with a resolute eye. "I'll do what I can to protect her later, when it comes to that, but it won't be enough. You must realize that."

Genta propped his arms up on the table he was sitting at, subtly shifting his body as he wouldn't be surprised if the princess sitting contently across the room could read lips. "Is that why you finally agreed to join the resistance?"

Ryunosuke glanced at Mako. "One of the reasons, yes."

Genta's brow rose. "There's more than one?"

"For this suicide mission?" Ryunosuke snorted. "The more reasons you have, the more invested you are in it." He sighed heavily. "My mother started this when she came with Mako's mother to this country in the first place. I wasn't thrilled with the prospect of taking up her mantle when she passed so suddenly, but I did it out of respect for the friendship and allegiance she held with Mako's mother.

"As Mako and Kotoha grew up, I realized exactly why my mother had volunteered so readily to leave everything she knew behind to follow her friend to this place, why she risked her life every day to create a spy network within these very walls.

He glanced at his princess. "You'll do anything to protect those you love – to protect your family."

Genta looked at Ryunosuke in surprise, having not expected such straight-forward confessions from the prickly caretaker.

"And whose allegiance do you align yourself with?" Takeru's sudden intrusion drew both men's eyes, but his gaze remained intent on Ryunosuke's.

"I ally myself with Aduro's enemies; I side with Pluvia and Caelestis Via," he answered without hesitation, causing Genta's shoulder's to relax minutely. "But if push comes to shove," Ryunosuke's voice was a warning as he met Takeru's steady gaze. "I won't hesitate to follow _Hime's_ orders before yours or _anyone_ else's."

Genta watched the two stare each other down, wisely keeping quiet as the two assessed each other, tension suffusing the room anew.

Finally, Takeru nodded. "Fair enough."

Genta breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

There was a rustle of movement and they watched as Mako unfolded herself from her chair, setting the book down in her place. She walked gracefully, if not hesitantly over to the other side of the room, stopping in front of Takeru with a faint flush on her cheeks, having finally made a decision of her own.

"Would you like to continue our game?" Her voice was shy, almost demure in its apprehension.

Takeru found a small smile work its way across his face as he watched her nervously pick at invisible threads on her emerald colored veil. "Same rules as before?"

Mako froze, her eyes darting to his in an instant when she realized he had spoken aloud to her in front of others, but his steady gaze never wavered and she smiled quietly in return before shaking her head. "Just the usual battle of wills and strategy I think." Her smile grew. "I think we're in enough trouble as it is." She nodded to Ryunosuke who tried not to look affronted.

Takeru's smile grew to match hers. "You're probably right." He stood up and followed her to the little table against the wall and resumed play as they slid into their usual seats.

Ryunosuke was at a loss for words as he tried to comprehend how things had seemed to just return to normal even though everything had altered completely.

Genta, on the other hand, was grinning from ear to ear. He reached out and patted the other man's shoulder in a sign of camaraderie. "Things are definitely changing around here," he said. "And if we're all very, very lucky, hopefully for the better – for everyone."

Ryunosuke grimaced suddenly at the not-so-subtle reminder. "Do you really think we'll get that lucky?"

Genta shrugged nonchalantly. "I can hope." He eyed Ryunosuke seriously. "It's better than giving up, right?"

Ryunosuke seemed to contemplate Genta's words for a moment, his eyes resting on the two locked in a battle of small stone pieces and strategies. He sighed. "Perhaps you're right."

When Chiaki and Kotoha emerged some time later, it was with a thrill of happiness that Kotoha found Mako and Takeru all but back to their usual selves as they moved their pieces carefully across the board.

Mako inquired as to their abrupt departure and if they had behaved themselves with the proper decorum while they were out, the answer to which she received were stammers and heavy blushes, breaking Mako out into laughter before finally relenting and leaving the happy couple be.

Both Kotoha and Chiaki started when Takeru then turned to ask Mako a question, their eyes nearly identical in their saucer-like appearance.

Mako did her best to hide her amusement, though it was difficult, at their bafflement and incredulity. She had decided that the best way to get everyone past the unease of Takeru speaking was to act as if it was the most normal thing in the world until it eventually became so.

As she let her eyes wander about the room as Takeru contemplated his next move, Mako felt a bubble of content rising in her chest as she gazed about at her odd little family. She never could have imagined that her life would take this spin – that she could find these small moments of joy in a largely bleak world.

But still something nagged at her, something that wouldn't allow her to rest nor relax comfortably in such a peaceful atmosphere.

It felt like how the land became eerily quiet and calm just before a raging storm hit – one that threatened to tear everything down to the very foundations of stone.

The kind of storm that had long been brewing and building, unseen, just beyond the horizon before appearing seemingly out of nowhere and destroying everything in its wake.

Mako shifted uncomfortably in her seat as a small twinge in her neck started up. She rubbed at the spot, the bruises all but completely faded by now and the use of a scarf to cover the obvious signs long gone.

Her companion caught the movement and looked up with a slight frown.

"Is your neck still bothering you?" He resisted the urge to reach out and touch the tender area.

Mako shook her head with a small smile. "I'm fine, it's nothing to worry about."

He didn't look entirely reassured but let it slide for now. "It's your move."

Mako studied the board, new strategies forming in her head as she read his new position in their game, swiftly viewing and rejecting each one until she found a more solid locus for her offensive before moving her next piece into its new place.


	13. Treason and Plot

**Author's Note:** I apologize for the wait. I had absolutely no intention of letting a month go between postings, but work has been kicking my butt during the week, and the weekends were full of graduations, weddings, and family gatherings. Hopefully this chapter appeases you with the wait. I'm sure I'll get an ear-full from a couple of you by chapter's end... :D Constructive Criticism is always welcomed! Enjoy~

* * *

_**Ceteris Paribus**_

_Chapter __Thirteen: Treason and Plot_

"Mako?"

Mako continued to bite her lip, her eyes locked on what she couldn't see out the window. The inviting cup of warm tea in her hand did nothing to soothe her growing fears.

"Mako?"

Her fingers began a dance of their own across the wooden tabletop as she sat lost in her thoughts.

Warm fingers settled upon hers and Mako started, blinking in surprise to see Takeru looking at her in concern. She attempted to smile in reassurance but it got lost somewhere in its travels to her lips.

"What happened?"

Mako's muscles tensed at his question, a twinge of pain beginning in her shoulders. She sighed heavily. "The battles appear to be going ill." She felt Takeru still.

"For which side?" He asked as delicately as he could.

"For my father's side," she answered carefully back.

He gave her a curious look.

"What is it?" She flushed at his scrutiny.

"You said your 'father's side', not 'our side.'"

Mako locked eyes with the dark, curious ones across from hers and felt the words at the tip of her tongue. How easy would it be to tell him everything? To share the burden with another who might be able to understand, in fact may be able to help? Then her eyes traveled to the leather band that was ever present around her neck and kept her tongue in check. Takeru had enough problems to worry about, he didn't need hers added on top. So instead, she glanced away, breaking away from the intensity of his stare.

"I'm not allowed to choose a side," she answered simply. "My side was chosen for me at birth, and to speak of any other would be to court treason."

Takeru's warm hand slid away from her own and she locked her limbs down to keep from reaching out and regaining the contact.

"Then why are you so tense, if you are not allowed to have an opinion?" Takeru's tone was apathetic.

Mako's eyes flashed to his and bit her lip to see that his eyes had shutters, once more blocking her out. She winced at the twist it pulled in her heart and answered as honestly as she could. "My father has a temper," she began, her voice quiet. "I fear for those both in his path and those he will seek out to direct his anger towards."

She glanced back at him then, meeting his eyes with her own.

Takeru looked at her curiously, wondering at the meaning behind her words but stopped himself short of asking when a knock sounded at the door.

Ryunosuke announced himself and entered with quick, efficient steps. Mako was on her feet at once.

"Has there been any more news?"

Ryunosuke paused, glancing between his charge and her guest, weighing his words before speaking. "Pluvia and her allies won another strategic battle early this morning, catching Aduro's fighters unawares. They are moving closer every day _Hime_."

Mako's fingers clenched together, halting both her elation and her fear from showing on her features. "And how has the King received this news?"

Ryunosuke couldn't hold back his grimace. "Not well."

Mako stilled, knowing all too well what Ryunosuke was implying. "How many…?"

He shook his head and kept his lips firmly sealed shut.

She tensed, only choosing to take a deep breath in and let it out slowly when she felt her lungs screaming from the lack of oxygen. She paused a moment to make sure her voice would be steady before asking her next question. "Where is Kotoha?"

"With her guard," Ryunosuke answered promptly. "I ran into them not too long ago and forewarned her of the situation. She will take precautions, _Hime._" His eyes watched her carefully as she nodded.

Mako felt the walls closing in closer as her thoughts raced through her mind faster than before.

"_Hime?_" Ryunosuke was now looking at her in concern, her features having gone slightly pale.

"I need some fresh air," she whispered.

"It is not wise to go about unattended at the present time, _Hime_," Ryunosuke frowned.

"I'll accompany her," Takeru's voice sounded from behind them as he rose almost fluidly to his feet.

Ryunosuke's frown deepened, still unaccustomed to Takeru speaking in such an open manner. "That may not be wise."

"Actually," Mako brightened slightly. "That may be the best choice right now."

"_Hime?_"

Mako rushed about the room to collect a few items, stuffing them into pockets as she went. "We'll be in the usual place," she informed her loyal friend. "Will you come find us when the King's temper has dampened?"

Ryunosuke nodded but still looked like he was holding back his protests.

Mako grasped Takeru gently by the wrist and tugged him after her. "We'll be fine," she called back over her shoulder to Ryunosuke. "Look after the others."

Takeru followed behind Mako at a respectful distance as she moved quickly but stealthily through the beautiful, airy halls. Her eyes darted constantly about but otherwise her face remained as stoic as ever when out and about the palace corridors.

He felt the tenseness of the palace grounds thickening around them the further they traveled from Mako's private quarters but could not seem to spot another living soul as they walked. The sun shone brightly outside but it felt as if the warmth of its rays fell short of the palace itself, almost as if a cold chill was creeping along, shadowing their footsteps. It made him feel antsy, his fingers automatically moving to grasp the hilt of a sword at his hip that was no longer there.

Mako paused in an archway her eyes scanning every corner of the open grounds before nodding discreetly to Takeru and stealing their way across the tiled floors and around clear blue pools.

It wasn't until the familiar view of the fountain that hid the entrance to Mako's hideaway came into sight that she breathed out a quiet sigh of relief.

On near silent feet they moved across the grassy area until she halted beneath her favorite tree, a small smile of ease finding its way across her features. She looked up at its leafy green branches as they whispered in the breeze, almost as if they were greeting her arrival.

Mako smiled then, a tiny bit of weight releasing itself from her shoulders. She turned to Takeru with an impish grin. "Can you climb?"

Takeru blinked at her question. "Climb?"

"Yes," Mako nodded toward the tree behind her.

His eyebrows vanished into his hairline in surprise. "Can you?"

Mako's answer was a playful, confident smile as she jumped to catch a low-hanging branch and began pulling herself up into the branches, her skirts swirling around her. When she had settled herself onto a sturdy limb she looked back at the astonished prince-turned-slave below her and waved. "Follow me," she called down in a quiet voice and turned her face back toward the branches above her, climbing higher.

Takeru stood rooted to the spot for several long seconds in complete bafflement before shaking his head with a captivated smile and reached for the branch she had hauled herself up on. As he climbed, he felt relief at the stretch and pull of his muscles as he maneuvered his way upward. The smooth but textured bark made for easy gripping and the tree was old enough to have produced many strong, thick branches to make for an easy climb. He stopped only when he was a branch below Mako, her smile bright as she watched him.

She had settled herself into a natural nook in between the trunk and a limb, her body seeming to curve into the spot as comfortably as if she was sitting on her favorite settee back in her rooms. Her vibrant red skirts and gold embroidery made her look like an ornate flower amongst all the jade colored leaves and he paused in his climbing as he stared at her, his heart seeming to tumble about in his chest for a moment at the sight of her smile.

She was so relaxed up here, seeming to be a part of nature itself, like the tree's own spirit come to life. The play of shadows and light across her figure gave her an almost unearthly appearance and Takeru was entranced by the sight, unable to look away as he finally pulled himself up to sit on a branch next to hers, so close they were nearly touching.

Mako breathed deeply and sighed in contentment. "It's been far too long since I've been up here."

Takeru could only stare, feeling as if he was looking at another woman entirely from the quiet, reserved one he saw on a daily basis.

Feeling his stare, Mako flushed. "What is it?"

Takeru shook his head. "You just seem…more at peace here."

Mako smiled. "I told you before, remember?" She looked up at the many branches and deep foliage above her. "The one place you can feel safe…

"People rarely come to this corner of the gardens as it is," she continued. "And no one would expect a princess to have climbed _into_ a tree. The only people who know about it are Kotoha and Ryunosuke." She glanced over at Takeru. "And now you." Her smile was gentle. "We will be undisturbed here for a while; it is okay to relax."

"Aduro's King…"

Mako tensed at Takeru's hesitant, searching question.

"Both you and Ryunosuke mentioned his temper. Is this why we are hiding?"

Mako's smile was bitter, her voice soft. "Yes." She pulled her knees in close to her chest, wrapping her arms around them in the process to rest her chin on top. "He lashes out with his anger. It is best to stay out of his way when he is riled up; with the war turning ill for his favor by the day…after the victory Pluvia gained early this morning…it was best to make ourselves scarce."

Takeru's head tilted slightly to the side as he listened to her words. "You were afraid he would remember I am here." It was a statement, not a question.

Mako nodded quietly, her face grim. "If he were to stumble across you today you would might not be alive to see a new dawn."

He heard no lie in her words, only bald truth.

The rustle of leaves filled in the silence between them for a moment as they sat lost in their own thoughts.

"Thank you."

Mako turned to Takeru with a small smile. "Of course." She started, her heart banging against her ribcage when she realized how close in proximity they were and sat back hurriedly, trying and failing to tamp down on her sudden blush. She fumbled through her skirt's pockets and produced two thin books from inside their folds, handing one to Takeru.

"I brought these," she rushed through her words to cover up her embarrassment. "I thought we might be here for a few hours, so I snatched some reading material off the tables to occupy our time." She tried to hide behind her veil as she waited until Takeru grasped the offered book.

With a smile he watched as her usually steady fingers slipped across the book she was trying to open, diving her nose hurriedly inside to hide her face. Eventually he turned to his book, noting with surprise and a feeling of warmth that it was one he had already been currently reading in her quarters.

They passed the time largely in silence except for the stir of a breeze amongst the branches or the rustle of a turning page, but Takeru was continually distracted by Mako's every minute movement. The way her fingers fluttered over a page, the quirk of her lips, the darting of her eyes about the pages as she sat engrossed in the words it showed her. His fingers itched to tug aside her veil, smooth away the strands of hair and trace the contours of her face. He wondered if he pressed his lips to hers if he'd feel that tugging sensation once more, that pull like two pieces of thought coming together as once, finishing for the other what one started.

Time wheeled by and all too soon Mako began stirring, her eyes darting from her pages to glance up at the passage of time of sunlight and shadows against the foliage. Takeru could see the tense set of her shoulders slowly returning as they both realized they couldn't hide away from the world forever; their time of peace was up.

It was Mako who broke the silence.

"I think we should begin to venture back; enough time has passed for Father's ire to have settled down for the moment." Her eyes wandered to the palace she couldn't see through the branches. "I wonder why Ryunosuke hasn't come to get us yet." She fiddled with the pages of her book. "I hope Kotoha and Chiaki are okay, and that someone told Genta about what he should do." She felt gentle fingers settle on her forearm.

"I'm sure they're fine," he assured her. "Genta keeps his ear to the ground; he would be well out of harm's way if it ever tried to seek him out. And I'm sure Chiaki's protecting Kotoha more fiercely than even we can imagine." _An interesting development that one turned out to be…_

He noted that while the crease of worry between her eyes had diminished, her eyes still appeared troubled. "Shall we go find out?"

Mako nodded, smiling slightly when he squeezed her arm gently. She placed her hand on top of his and squeezed back in gratitude before tucking the books away and making to maneuver out of the tree.

Getting into the tree had always been an easier feat than getting back out of it, at least where skirts were concerned. True, she wore pants that more resembled leggings underneath most of the time, but skirts entangled themselves in stray twigs all the same. So as not to snag her clothing or head veil on anything she moved slowly and carefully, Takeru reaching the ground long before she did.

When she finally climbed down to the last branch she made as if to bunch her skirts up about her to make the final jump to the ground but stopped in surprise when steady arms held themselves out to her. Takeru's eyes danced at her sudden shyness as she let go of the hems of her skirts and reached out with her own arms, leaning forward to slide off the branch with as much grace as was possible.

There was thrill of falling for an instant as she realized that she had let go of her solid branch with nothing to stop her from making impact with the hard ground below her but the trust in someone else's arms when suddenly she was engulfed in Takeru's embrace, her arms about his neck and his solidly around her waist.

Mako's heart pounded in her chest so hard she swore Takeru had to feel it himself. She flushed as she marveled at the strength and apparent ease he had caught her with, his grip steady even now. She pulled back slightly to see his face and was immediately caught up in his gaze.

As if propelled by some other force, Mako leaned forward, her eyes sliding shut as their lips met.

Once again, time seemed to still around them, the world going silent as if it holding its breath to allow them to exist in another time and place far from where they physically stood.

A warm, safe place, away from the constant troubles and worries of their everyday lives.

Arms gripped each other tighter as if to detract any space between them as humanly possible, realizing that this kiss _was_ different from the last.

It was simultaneously invigorating and soothing, intoxicating in its potency as yet unnamed feelings bubbled dangerously close to the surface.

Mako's hands slid from around his neck to cup his face as the kiss deepened, completely forgetting decorum and the thought of watchful eyes.

For better or worse, however, one person would never let them forget.

"_Hime!_" Ryunosuke's scandalous tone pierced through the world they had encompassed themselves in, shattering the moment in an instant.

Mako and Takeru jerked back, their breathing ragged as they fought to get themselves under control while Ryunosuke stalked closer, a dark scowl on his face.

Takeru let Mako slowly slide to her feet, her legs a little unsteady but her eyes still solely focused on Takeru's.

"_Hime!_" Ryunosuke called again when he was only a few feet away. "What in the world were you thinking?!"

Mako felt a little off-balance as she realized that while she was embarrassed, a new feeling of irritation at the interruption was blossoming forth.

"Are you both mad?" Ryunosuke continued his head whipping from one to the other. "Did you completely forget where you two currently stand? You're in the King's backyard! Under his very own nose and _now_ is the time you chose to indulge in – in this!" He waved at the pair of them. "Right when the King is at his most agitated?"

When he didn't receive a response from either of them he turned back to Mako.

"You're in the _Women's Sanctuary_," he pleaded with her to remember. "Do not forget the number of enemies you have here." He glanced at Takeru. "_Either_ of you. What you are indulging in is foolish and reckless. And you –"

"Is Kotoha okay?" Mako interrupted Ryunosuke's tirade.

He was pulled up short by the question, nearly tripping over his own tongue at the sudden change in conversation.

"She's fine," he assured her. "And so are the others."

"Then we should get back inside," Mako insisted, taking the lead as she began to stride across the grass. "As you mentioned Ryunosuke, this isn't a safe place to be for neither actions nor conversations of this sort."

Takeru glanced back at the First Princess' caretaker and the way his face seemed contorted between wanting to continue his lecture and the good sense to continue it elsewhere as they followed Mako's footsteps through the gardens.

Wisely, Ryunosuke kept his consul as he followed along the hallways but the moment the door to Mako's quarters had been shut behind them he stood his ground.

"_Hime_," he ground out between his teeth, his arms fully crossed over his chest. "A word, if you please." He nodded toward Mako's private rooms.

Mako closed her eyes tightly for patience, huffing out the barest sigh of annoyance before leading the way to her own rooms, nodding toward Chiaki in greeting where he stood near the windowsill.

As the doors shut smartly behind the pair, Chiaki looked over at Takeru with raised eyebrows. "Dare I even ask?"

Takeru shook his head and settled himself deeply into a chair, bracing his elbows upon his knees as he attempted to study the pull between himself and Mako. Trying to figure out what he was going to do with it now.

"You heard about our allies getting closer?"

Takeru nodded.

"So what's the plan?"

Takeru looked up to see Chiaki's eyes trained on the closed door across the room from them and he sighed deeply. "I don't know," he admitted. "But we'll figure something out." He glanced over at Mako's note taking supplies and rose to gather a blank sheet, fresh ink and a writing stylus.

Chiaki glanced over. "Have an idea already?"

Takeru shrugged. "I don't know, but it couldn't hurt." He glanced up at the solidly shut door to Mako's room and then the one leading to the hall, pausing in his ministrations.

Chiaki caught the look and moved toward the door leading outside. "I'll stand guard over this door," he informed his leader. "With the way Ryunosuke sounds to be fixing up, his lecture could go on for some time."

They both glanced over at the door, indistinct voices emanating from behind it, the exact words lost behind the thickness of the wood.

Chiaki sighed. "I'll bet he's lecturing Kotoha in there too just for good measure." He glanced back at Takeru. "I don't know what you guys did this time, but stop doing it so that their 'Mother Hen' keeps catching you. It's really a pain in the ass to have him glaring at all of us all the time like we're the mortal enemy."

Takeru's eyebrow quirked up at the term usage and Chiaki rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." He waved away Takeru's unspoken words and stationed himself at the doorway, his every nerve alert for any presence on the other side of the doors. They were too close to the finish line to trip now.

* * *

"It was a kiss Ryunosuke!" Mako yelled louder than she had intended. She was embarrassed at getting caught _again_ when it felt like such a private, intimate thing, and her irritation as such was getting the best of her.

"And can you honestly tell me it was _just_ a kiss?" Ryunosuke countered, his voice rising in response but his stance firm. "Just a harmless experiment? That you didn't feel anything else? Can you honestly tell me that you don't feel the need to "test" it again and again until it blindly develops into something you can't handle with a clear head anymore?"

"Ryunosuke!" Kotoha was shocked.

Mako felt the words stab at her heart, but she simply crossed her arms across her chest and held her ground, her usual court mask slipping into place. When she answered, her voice was cool and distant. "What are you getting at?"

"I'm just trying to protect you," he explained, trying to keep his frustration under control. She had _never_ used that façade with him before, and it felt like a smart slap in the face that jolted him back in place.

"You've worked so hard," he continued, appealing to her logical side and wincing inside as he did so. It was an underhanded tactic, but he _had _to make her see sense. "You're so close to obtaining your goal. Are you willing to risk all of that for one man? For a named slave?"

"He wasn't always a slave Ryunosuke," she reminded him, her tone brittle in its frostiness, but he could see that some of what he had said was beginning to push through.

"So you have decided to believe the rumors then?"

Mako nodded. "In this instance."

"Why? What changed your mind?" He couldn't help asking, curiosity getting the best of him.

She hesitated for a fraction of a minute before plunging ahead. "He told me himself."

Kotoha gasped, her hands flying to cover her mouth. "So he really is the Prince of Caelestis Via?"

Mako looked her sister's way. "Yes."

"And you believe him?" Ryunosuke cut in.

Mako nodded again, this time with an assurance she felt deep within her. Whatever else Takeru may be keeping from her, she was sure this was not one of them.

Ryunosuke watched his princess for a long moment, studying her set jaw and resolute eyes. He sighed deeply and raked a hand through his hair. He'd have to find out exactly how much this foreign prince had divulged later but at least Takeru had finally trusted Mako with that much.

"So what do we do now?" He asked, his eyes fixing on hers.

Mako's mask slipped and her arms dropped to her sides, disarmed at the look on Ryunosuke's face – resignation, anxiety and fresh determination. "What do you mean?"

"Now that you know for sure that he is the heir to the throne of the country you've been communicating with for months in secret, you can't very well let the King get his hands on him." Ryunosuke's tone was calm, but it sent a chill down Mako's spine all the same. "If the King kills him while he's under your protection…"

Mako sat heavily in the chair at her side and buried her face in her hands, that feeling of being overwhelmed breaking loose from that lock she normally kept it under.

She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and Mako looked up to see Kotoha trying to smile bravely for her. Mako's hand reached up to grasp her sister's and squeezed it tightly, coming to a decision in a moment of perfect clarity. She turned to Ryunosuke's expectant face.

"We get him out."

When he gave her nothing but a confused expression in answer, Mako elaborated. "We have to protect him. We have to get Takeru out of here, away from the palace and safely behind his allies' lines."

Ryunosuke started. "_Hime_, if the King finds out –"

"And if Takeru dies?" Mako cut him off, already knowing the answer. "Caelestis Via will sever ties with us; they'll see it as a betrayal of their trust – something we've worked so hard for, for so long to obtain. Do we dare risk that?" Her eyes were steady as she watched Ryunosuke searching her for her resolution.

"But Mako," Kotoha started, her voice shaky and face pale, "if Father finds out it was you…"

"He would kill you _Hime_ and he wouldn't think twice about it, First Princess or not," Ryunosuke continued where Kotoha had trailed off unable to speak the words aloud. "And it would be public."

Kotoha's hand tightened on Mako's shoulder and she tried to squeeze her hand back in comfort, knowing it was largely a lost cause.

"Do you think Takeru could live with that?" Ryunosuke didn't relent, but Mako started slightly at the use of his name. Ryunosuke always referred to Takeru as her "guest," never by name. "Are you willing to die because of what you might feel for him, as noble as your intentions are in aiding his escape?"

Mako shook her head and Kotoha and Ryunosuke looked at her in surprise until she explained. "It's not about my personal feelings, Ryunosuke. It's about this kingdom," she spread her arms wide, "It always has been."

She took in a deep breath to steady herself, knowing full well the weight of her words. "If my father discovers the truth, if he does kill me, it won't be because I'm willing to die for one man." The determination in her eyes was strong and her will unbending. "I'm willing to sacrifice my life for my country, as I always have. As I always will."

The two regarded each other silently for a long time before Ryunosuke finally nodded. "Then I will help you, even if it means adding another grotesque ornamentation to that wall." He bowed deeply to her then in a sing of his utmost respect and sincerity. "I would proudly die beside you."

Cold fingers grasped hers. "Me too." Kotoha's mouth was set firmly, even as her limbs trembled.

"Kotoha," Mako sighed as she stood and tucked a stray curl behind her sister's ear. "You have a chance for love with Chiaki. Don't throw that away so rashly."

Kotoha frowned. "What about you and Takeru?"

Mako shook her head. "We're not the same. This isn't love." Her brows furrowed as she tried to define this intangible thing between them. "It is a shared curiosity, nothing more." She felt the lie as it left her lips but stood by her words all the same.

"It would be love Mako," Kotoha retorted, not fooled for an instant, "If you just gave it a chance."

Mako hugged her little sister close, embracing her tightly to hold back the emotions that threatened to overtake her at Kotoha's words. Everything inside her screamed that those words were the truth, but Mako couldn't afford to indulge in them. "You know I can't," she whispered instead. "There's too much at stake."

Kotoha pulled back from her sister's embrace with a frown. "Then how come _I_ can risk it?"

Mako couldn't stop the soft sigh that escaped her lips as she moved to cup her sister's face in her hands. "Kotoha, you're my sister. I care more about you than anyone else in the world. I love you and am more than grateful and proud of you for willing to die beside me, but you have another role to play in this." She met her sister's eyes steadily, hoping to convey what her heart wasn't allowed to say. "If something happens to Ryunosuke and me, I _need_ you to live. When the time comes I want you to find Chiaki, and the two of you are to lead Takeru and Genta to safety. Can you do that for me?"

Kotoha's eyes filled with tears that quickly spilled over but she nodded, biting her lip against a sob and embraced her sister as tightly as she could.

Mako swallowed past the lump lodged in her throat, returning the embrace with as much strength. "Find Genta," she whispered to Ryunosuke, determined to keep her tears locked within her eyes. "Bring him to my quarters to join Chiaki and Takeru. Kotoha and I will be with you shortly."

Unwilling to bring himself to break into the emotions tumbling between the siblings, Ryunosuke simply bowed low in response before taking his leave on silent feet.

Kotoha's arms tightened around her sister and Mako found it hard to breathe, but whether that was from her sister's interlocked arms or her own feelings bubbling up and over she couldn't be sure.

"You'll be okay," Mako promised. "One day it will be okay."

"I want you to come too, Mako," Kotoha couldn't help the sob that escaped.

Mako felt a tear trail down her cheek and hide itself in Kotoha's hair. "I know," she whispered. "I know."

"What are you going to tell Takeru?"

"Only what I have to; as much that will get him out of here as safely as possible."

"He's going to ask why you're not coming," Kotoha's tone was insistent as she looked at her older sister with worried eyes. "He'll figure it out, even if you don't answer him. He's smart, as smart as you are."

Mako's lips rose in the barest of smiles as she ran a hand through her sister's hair. "I know."

"What are you going to do then?"

Mako sighed. "I guess I'll figure it out if and when the question comes up."

"I don't like this plan Mako."

"It is not the most ideal," she admitted. "But it is the best we have." She hugged her sister close once again before releasing her. "Come, we need to wash our faces before we go through the doors. I don't want to start this conversation off on the wrong foot; best not to alarm anyone before it's absolutely necessary."

By the time they had freshened up and stepped outside the doors, Ryunosuke had returned with Genta and the three men were glancing at the princesses' caretaker and confidante with questioning glances.

"Please, sit," Mako indicated the chairs in the room as she and Kotoha sat themselves at the small table that held the _Agnitio _pieces. Ryunosuke stood just behind them, positioned for support and assistance as he stood in perfect posture, his will set to follow Mako's with whatever decision she made.

Chiaki chose to lean up against the wall near the door, his arms crossed over his chest as he felt the tension rising in the air. He had an ominous feeling about this little get together; something inside him was nagging that he wouldn't like the outcome by the day's end.

Genta plopped himself down next to Takeru who was seated on a couple of cushions against the wall opposite of Mako and Kotoha. He glanced around the room, noting the tense set to everyone's shoulders and attempted to crack a grin. "What happened? Did someone die?" He quipped.

Mako and Kotoha winced at his words and Genta dropped his smile, abashed. He'd heard the rumors circulating, but couldn't believe they were true. Just because you were the king and angry didn't give you the right…

Mako took in a deep breath to steady herself before releasing it slowly, making eye contact with the three newest members to her chambers before plunging ahead. "By now I'm sure you've all heard the news of what has transpired today with Pluvia, Caelestis Via and the rest of their allies. Just as I am sure that you have heard of Aduro's King's response to such news…"

She closed her eyes and sighed. "I won't beat around the bush." She looked across the room. "Takeru, Genta, the two of you are in more danger than you realize. Aduro's King will not have forgotten about Takeru completely, but with time it may have passed had the war been going in the King's favor. Now, however, he will be obsessed with saving face after this blow of defeat."

She locked eyes with Takeru. "He _will_ come for you now. It's only a matter of time. The manner in which he comes for you will depend entirely on his mood and whim. I cannot say what he will do, or how long it will last, but even if he lets you live for a little longer while he comes up with new ways to prolong your shame and humiliation, eventually he _will_ kill you." Mako clenched her hands together in her lap to try and stop them from shaking, even as her voice remained steady. "It may be in a few weeks or a few days; the closer Pluvia and her allies' get, the shorter your life will be."

She wrenched her eyes away from the steady, dark ones gazing at her, trying to put a stopper on the emotions that were surging up inside her at the thought of Takeru's imminent departure from this world.

"Be that as it may," she continued after a moment, glancing back at Ryunosuke and Kotoha who both nodded, their faces grim in determination. "I believe we have found a way to get you out of this predicament. It is simple but risky." She looked up at the tense guard by the door. "We will need your help with this too Chiaki, if you are willing."

"What are you proposing Princess?" Genta asked, all usual traces of amusement having vanished from his face and voice.

"We –"

Chiaki made an abrupt, jerking motion as he all but danced away from the door, his mouth opening to call out a warning that never came as a sharp knock sounded on the door an instant before it burst open.

Everyone in the room was on their feet in an instant, but their limbs froze at what greeted them on the other side of the door.

"Hello my beloved daughters," a voice filled the horrified silence left in the opening door's wake.


	14. Fractured Wings

**Author's Notes: **Hopefully the wait wasn't too long with that cliffhanger. ;) The King has finally made his entrance; he's a real piece of work too...Eeesh. Anywho, I hope you enjoy the latest addition! Constructive Criticism is always welcomed.

* * *

_**Ceteris Paribus**_

_Chapter __Fourteen: Fractured Wings_

Sharp, nearly crippling fear seized at Mako's limbs as her father entered her quarters on unhurried feet, his eyes swiftly taking in everything.

"It appears that my informant was correct," he commented almost nonchalantly.

Chiaki and Ryunosuke had immediately dropped to one knee, their heads bowed as low to the floor as they could get without actually touching it at the King's entrance.

Kotoha had dropped into a deep curtsey, her head down, but she kept stealing glances at Mako who seemed frozen in place, her spine as erect as ever.

Mako could feel the blood draining from her face even as her mask had slipped on as efficiently as ever.

"Tell me daughter," he directed at Mako with cold amusement. "What _exactly_ is going on here? I'd like to hear it from you first before I make any rash decisions."

Mako gathered her wits and pushed her fear roughly aside, even as her heart continued to beat at a furious rate. "What rumors has some bird been twittering in your ear this time, Sire?" Her voice managed to come out cool and distant, but she didn't dare look around at a single soul in the room other than the man who stood before her.

The King laughed suddenly, causing Kotoha to flinch but otherwise she held her prostrate position.

"I know you don't get along with the other women, daughter. They "twitter" about you all the time." His smile didn't reach his eyes. "But you are a strange one, aren't you?" His hand reached out and indicated her bookshelves and _Agnitio _board. "Reading and playing games…"

Again, Mako didn't so much as bat an eyelash and her father finally shrugged.

"I don't care how you amuse yourself, so long as you stay out of my hair. The women can squawk about your oddities all they want." He shot Mako a sharp look. "But this particular informant has delivered some unsettling news, oh daughter of mine."

Chiaki and Ryunosuke tensed as the King's personal guards filed into the room on quiet feet. Kotoha bit her lip, her eyes wide as she watched the floor, not daring to look at her sister now lest she give something away. Genta shifted himself subtly in front of Takeru where they stood in their offset corner, trying to look as unobtrusive as possible, as impossible as it was.

"It seems we have found a new game to play, haven't we?" The King prompted when Mako kept her counsel.

All the "games" she was currently playing ran through her mind in rapid succession. To speak of a single one would be to court death and sign the death warrants of all those she held dear.

"I have always played _Agnitio_ Father," she answered, knowing he was expecting some sort of an answer, regardless if it was the one he wanted.

The King's expression turned ugly in an instant. "Not that, you useless girl! Your slave!" His voice rose as he pointed toward Takeru, Genta tensing in an instant. "Prancing about like he belongs here – like he's one of us. No iron bracelets, no restrictions, no humiliation. Where's your common sense?!"

Mako's eyes became steely. "He was injured protecting me because of those iron bonds."

"All the better that he had died in an assassination attempt against one of my daughters," he waved away her explanation.

Her eyes widened, breaking through her carefully composed mask for just a moment. "You knew? You knew someone had made an attempt against my life and did nothing?"

"Silence girl," he glared at her in response for daring to question his actions. "It's your own fault for refusing to allow my guards into your rooms."

Mako felt fury race through her veins. It was one thing to wonder if he hadn't known at all, it was another that he had known all along and considered it beneath his acknowledgement. "Your concern for my welfare is most touching _Father_." She said his name like an insult.

"If you'd act like a normal woman, like the rest of the women here, you wouldn't have to worry," he barked back. "If you'd stop making friends with servants," he indicated the occupants of the room, "if you'd use your _slave_ like you were supposed to –"

"You expressly told me to 'do with him as I pleased' and this is my will," Mako cut her father off, heedless of the warning of anger in his eyes.

"You know damn well this isn't what I expected of you!" His face was red with rage.

"Well, like you said yourself, _Father_, I am not normal."

Mako's head reeled back in a sudden burst of pain, a gasp escaping her lips as her father backhanded her across the face.

"I told you to watch that tongue of yours, you stupid girl," he bit out, before pausing to consider her.

Mako held a hand to her already reddening cheek, her eyes focused on an invisible spot on the floor as she fought for control, her breathing heavy.

The room had stilled – everyone had locked their muscles down lest their actions hurt Mako even further, though Genta was forced to subtly keep a restraining hand around Takeru's wrist in warning.

The King's guards shifted quietly on their feet in discomfort but knew it meant their lives to interfere in any way.

"It is past time you learned a few lessons of your own," the King continued as if nothing had happened, feeling much calmer now that he had had an outlet for his anger. "Some that will hopefully humble you some before your marriage."

"_Marriage_?" The word slipped past Mako's numb lips in shock.

He gave her a stern look of warning. "You're finally of age; your beauty if well-spoken of," he frowned. "Though your tongue needs some work." He eyed her critically. "Maybe after you've been retrained to be the First Princess of the Court I expect you to be, you might be tame enough for marriage." His grin was cruel and humorless. "If not, either Alamanzor or Torquil will _certainly_ be able to keep you under control."

What color was left in Mako's face vanished in an instant, the red mark on her cheek standing out like a bright crimson signal. Those two names were whispered with terror amongst daughters far and wide. Rumors of their malicious cruelty were well-known, and every young woman prayed to be married of to someone – _anyone_ – else.

Servants who even appeared to _look_ at one of these two men wrong were beaten to within an inch of their lives until they finally succumbed to their wounds. Men, women, children – it didn't matter, all were the same in their eyes.

Genta's knuckles on Takeru's arm were white with strain from keeping them both in check – everyone had heard of those notorious men. He sometimes wondered if the two tried to "out do" each other in their sick and twisted methods once a story spread like wildfire across the world's lips.

Pleased at Mako's reaction, the King was all smiles once more.

"You. Servant," he directed at Ryunosuke though he didn't deem it worth his time to look at him. "Escort my other daughter to her own rooms and make sure she _stays_ there – no more of this shared room nonsense. Childhood is long over; it is past time the First Princess grew up."

He turned to Chiaki next. "I want you to go with one of my men. He will help you find the _proper_ attire for the First Princess' slave. You will bring it back here and ensure it stays on, no matter what she says. And then it will be your duty to position yourself in these chambers so as to report to my messengers daily so that I am assured my daughter is taking seriously to her…lessons."

The King finally turned back to Mako. "And you will learn your lessons. You _will _conduct yourself in the manner I expect you to. You will use your slave as you are supposed to or rest assured, his life and all the subsequent ones that follow until you _learn_ your lessons will be forfeit. Do I make myself perfectly clear?"

Mako's voice was soft in answering, almost too quiet to hear. "Yes, Sire."

"Better," he nodded. "That's the kind of obedience I expect of those in my household – what every man worth anything should expect from a woman or any who serve him." With a self-satisfied sigh of content he turned on his heel and made a swift exit, seeing no point in lingering now that his "problem child" had been dealt with and all affairs were once more in proper order.

"You see?" He told his guards who followed him out the door, Chiaki right on their heels but the look of deepest loathing in his eyes as he did so, "All a man needs is a firm hand to guide with –"

Chiaki shut the door behind them firmly, effectively blocking out anything else the King had to say.

Tense, heavy silence filled the air in the wake of the King.

Finally, Kotoha rose from her position and approached her sister, her heart breaking at her sister's bowed head, her midnight blue veil hiding her face from all in the room. "Mako?"

"You'd better go," Mako's voice was a whisper, her arms folding around herself, keeping them latched at her sides rather than give into the comfort and empathy her sister offered. She didn't dare take the risk.

Ryunosuke took Kotoha gently by the shoulders, shaking his head when Kotoha had made to move closer to Mako anyways. "I'll make sure she's safe," he assured Mako, waiting until she nodded in acknowledgement before guiding his charge silently out the door.

Genta watched the princess before him, tremors beginning to shake her small frame.

"I'm going to keep watch outside," he told Takeru in an undertone. "I don't trust this king not to have something up his sleeve." Takeru gave a tight nod and Genta slipped out the door on soundless feet.

Once alone Takeru took his turn in approaching Mako, his footsteps slow and obvious, not wanting to surprise her. When he was close enough that he could smell her light, sweet incense he carefully reached out and laid a hand upon her shoulder.

"Don't," Mako jerked away, her voice breaking. "It's what he _wants_."

Takeru embraced her tightly without hesitation. "Mako," he breathed, holding her to him as closely as he could, calling himself every kind of degrading name for not being able to protect her when she had needed someone most.

Mako's breath caught in the back of her throat at hearing him call her name.

Takeru _always_ called her by name, not by a title, or like an object the way her father always did.

Mako's knees collapsed from underneath her as the tight lock she always kept on her emotions burst open with a tremendous force. Takeru caught her easily, slowly sinking to the ground together with her, holding her tightly as she cried.

He stroked her hair and murmured softly to her, every tender caress, every gentle word seeming to only make her sob harder.

Takeru felt something inside him wrench free and he vowed there and then as he held the shaking young woman in his arms that he would do everything within his power to make sure she ended up happy.

This was the _last_ time her father hurt her like this.

There would be no pre-arranged marriages designed by that man. Takeru would make sure of it.

By the time Chiaki and the other guard returned Mako had cried herself out and was sitting on the settee with Takeru at her side. She was staring listlessly out the window, too lost in her own thoughts to speak, but anchored in a safe harbor by his hand in hers.

When the sharp rap sounded at the door, Takeru stood as Mako granted permission to those on the other side.

Mako grimaced and looked away as the sounds of clinking metal echoed alarmingly in the suddenly too small rooms. She faced the window but squeezed her eyes shut all the same, unable to stomach the thought of seeing Takeru locked back up like an animal in a menagerie. But it appeared that her lack of sight only sharpened her hearing and every bright _ping_ of metal, every _click_ as locks slid into place felt as if they were chaining her up with him.

Chiaki, his face stern but gray allowed the King's guard to "do the honors," but watched the man like a hawk, eager to get him out of the rooms as fast as possible.

As the last lock was turned on the shackles around Takeru's wrists, Chiaki turned to the other guard. "Tell the King his will has been done."

The guard nodded and then bowed low to the First Princess before making his exit.

Mako glanced over at Takeru at the sound of the door closing, cringing in pain as the feeling of a sharp needle pierced through her chest, and turned swiftly away.

The heavy manacles around Takeru's wrists had returned, as had the thick metal collar around his neck, connecting to his wrist chains to form a "T" as before, but the King hadn't stopped there. Leg shackles had been added, ones with a short chain between so as to make even walking a challenge.

The King wasn't a stupid man – he intended to make things as difficult for his enemy as possible should Takeru ever get it in his head to try and make a run for it. He didn't need Takeru to be able to defend himself; it was merely his whim that the young prince was even alive to begin with.

Takeru nodded and Chiaki retreated to the doorway to try and give them some semblance of privacy as Takeru went to Mako's side. He sat on the edge of the settee once more, and with the ringing of chains raised his hand to turn her face toward him, shifting her sheer veil aside and tracing the angry mark on her face with gentle fingers.

Silent tears slid down her face as their eyes met. She shifted her cheek so that it rested inside his warm hand for a moment before turning her head to kiss his palm.

His hand held her face softly as they sat there quietly; searching each other's face for answers to questions left unasked.

There was no pretending now, no longer any room to ignore the feelings that had grown between them.

Neither would have responded the way they had if there hadn't been something there.

If Takeru was really "just a slave" her father had gifted to her, she knew the sight of seeing him locked up again – to be violently reminded of how little control she really had over the situation – would have only provoked a sharp sympathy. She would have cared – she wasn't callous – but it wouldn't have hurt like this. She wouldn't have felt this helpless, wouldn't have felt like a large part of her world was unraveling at the edges faster than she could keep up with.

If Mako had just been his "mistress," the one he had been assigned to and told to keep an eye on as his mission demanded him to, the sight of watching her father harm her wouldn't have provoked such disgusted fury in him. Hearing about her proposed marriage partners would have earned the King further reasons to be rid of him as soon as possible, but it wouldn't have made Takeru want to kill the man with his own two hands. Her tears wouldn't have torn at something deep inside, something that wanted nothing more than to wrap her up in his arms and protect her from the cruelty of the world.

Mako flinched at a sudden knock on the door, and they both tensed until they recognized the voice on the other side, requesting permission to enter.

With a nod from Mako, Chiaki let Genta in, both men's faces nearly identical in their seriousness.

"I went to check in on the little princess," Genta began without preamble, all traces of his usual mirth gone. "Ryunosuke sent me to tell you that she's fine, she's more concerned about her sister." He glanced quickly at Chiaki before darting away as Chiaki's mouth hardened into a fine line.

Being ordered to stay and watch over Mako constantly wasn't in his plans. Being a palace guard allowed him some freedom to wander about and get people into position as needed, spreading word to others as new information was available. As Kotoha's personal guard he still had much of this freedom, even if he did tend to stray closer to her side than was probably preferred by his superiors.

Now he was stuck here, acting as little more than a babysitter. One that was supposed to make sure the First Princess was behaving the "appropriate" way, one that involved more…_involved_ lessons with her slave than simply moving stone pieces across a wooden board. Chiaki refused to let his imagination wander too far down _that_ path; those were images he'd rather keep out of his mind for the foreseeable future, one that seemed to be shrinking in size by the day.

His mood soured, feeling like he was as chained to this room as Takeru was to his heavy metallic bracelets.

Kotoha's worried face popped into his mind and he wondered how she was _really_ handling everything.

"Don't worry Chiaki," Mako's voice was soft. "I'll figure out a way to get you by her side as soon as I can, as often as possible."

Chiaki started, a blush rising from his neck that traveled right into his hairline. _How the hell was she able to read him like an open book like that?_ It was downright unnerving sometimes, embarrassing at others.

Mako's smile was gentle, if not entirely reassuring for how off-balance she seemed now.

He studied her with a critical eye. She looked almost fragile, something he wasn't used to seeing and he found it unsettling. For the first time he was intensely grateful that she and Takeru were becoming…something.

He hadn't really given it much thought before, always knowing it was something that would never be, something the two would never _let_ be. And he had shrugged it off. It was just the way the world worked. Both Takeru and Mako were well aware of it. Who was he to point it out? Ryunosuke did that often enough for them all, even though the man had the best intentions at heart.

But watching how close they sat next to each other, their hands the only things that were touching, clenched tightly between them as if giving and receiving strength in equal parts, Chiaki felt something settle into place in his mind, felt it breathe a sigh of something that was remarkably similar to relief.

Perhaps it was cruel to think so, but the feelings that were growing between the pair daily might be their saving grace. With how determined Mako was to protect them, and how Takeru had seemed to now take his mission straight to heart because of it, maybe they would live to see this thing finished after all. Maybe they'd live to see what would become of them when it was over.

And maybe, just maybe – though it was a hope he wouldn't place money on – they all might find some semblance of happiness in the aftermath.

And so, after hesitation and an internal debate, Chiaki finally responded by bowing deeply to Mako, showing her his utmost respect and gratitude.

Genta's smile returned in bits and pieces at the sight of it while Takeru's brow simply rose in surprise.

Chiaki never bowed down to anyone if he had the choice, even to Takeru.

Mako blinked rapidly, a little overcome and not entirely sure how to respond.

When Chiaki stood upright once more, Genta slapped his friend on the back, giving his approval and Chiaki flushed.

"Thank you, both," Mako finally said, her voice humble.

Genta waved aside her gratitude, his face serious once more.

"I won't lie to you Princess, this isn't good. Whatever tricks your father has up his sleeve won't be good for any of us, yourself included." He shifted his stance slightly. "You mentioned you had an idea – a sure fire way to get us out of this predicament with as less muss and fuss as possible."

Mako nodded shakily, her fingers clenching in their grip around Takeru's hands and he looked at her in concern. She breathed in deeply, her exhale almost a sigh as she wished she had the support of her sister and childhood friend both in the room standing steadfastly behind her.

But wishes were for those who could afford them.

"I think I many have a way to get all of you out of here and into both Pluvia and Caelestis Via's protection." She paused, feeling that rush of terror and anticipation, like jumping from a high cliff into the water below.

"I've been in contact with Caelestis Via," she pushed forward, feeling the way the entire room tensed and silence stole over the three young men in front of her. "I've been communicating with them for months now, earning their trust and asking for help."

She couldn't bring herself to look around and see their faces, not yet. She might lose her nerve if she did. "They – they've agreed to concede to my requests, to help, so long as I proved my loyalty – confirmed their trust in me and my sincerity in an unshakable way." Her voice became quiet. "I couldn't think of a grand enough gesture to earn their faith for the longest time, even though it was staring me in the face all along."

Mako looked up at Takeru then, her expression grim but steadfast in her determination. "I'm going to set you free."

Takeru's eyes widened as her words registered in his mind. "What?"

"You," she looked around the room, "Genta, Chiaki, and Kotoha – all of you will be leaving this place far behind." Her smile didn't reach her eyes, her heart threatening to tear in two. "What greater show of faith could I offer than returning their prince and his friend?" She looked at Chiaki. "I have already asked Kotoha to escort them out of the palace and out of this place, with you watching over her and navigating through the city once you are beyond the walls. I'm sorry I didn't ask you before, but I assumed that wherever she would go, you too would follow if given the chance, even if it meant that you had to leave your homeland behind."

Chiaki flushed, as much from Mako pinning his feelings for Kotoha so exactly as much for feeling guilty that he was still lying about who he was and hiding it from both princesses.

Mako read his blush and sudden discomfort as an acknowledgement of her words.

"I haven't worked out the specifics yet, but I have already sent my response ahead to let them know of my plans," she continued. Her eyes darted between the three. "We'll figure out everything as hurriedly as possible.

"I know it's a lot to ask after all you've been through already, but if you could be patient for just a little longer, I swear to you that my father won't get the chance to harm you further." She shook her head, her eyes fierce in her determination. "I won't _let_ him."

The three men exchanged quick looks, communicating without words.

"What about you Princess?" Genta asked in the ensuing silence following Mako's speech.

"Me?" Mako looked genuinely confused at the question.

"You mentioned the three of us and your sister, but said nothing about both you and your trusted confidant," he pointed out shrewdly.

Mako swallowed her throat suddenly dry. "I will be orchestrating the events with Ryunosuke's help."

"That's not what I meant and you know it." Genta watched her with eyes that said he clearly knew what she wasn't saying.

"Genta." Takeru shook his head, silently telling him to back off. Genta frowned slightly but let the matter drop.

"I think the better question," Takeru said to cover the moment, "is why?"

"Why?" Mako's eyes were drawn into Takeru's seemingly passive stare.

"Why are you willing to go so far, risking your King's wrath, for us?"

Mako's sudden smile threw him off-guard. "It's simple," she replied with clear eyes for the first time since her father had made his untimely entrance. "I protect those I care about." She looked at them all individually until they met her eyes. "And I care about all of you." Her fingers squeezed Takeru's where they remained interlaced between them as her eyes returned to his, hoping he could read the earnest sincerity and truth of her words.

Following a sudden whim and a deeper instinct, Takeru leaned in and gave Mako a soft kiss on the lips. She stiffened in surprise, but when he pulled back her body seemed to automatically try to lean forward, trying to prolong the touch.

Mako blushed crimson at the open display of affection, unable to find the words she was going to say. She had _felt_ Takeru's response to her words, and it struck a chord deep within her in a place that words would never be able to quite reach.

Chiaki's mouth fell open, having only heard the stories of Mako and Takeru kissing or seeing the aftermath, never witnessing it himself.

Genta simply nodded. "Well said Takeru." He grinned audaciously. "And if I might add, some more displays like that may even convince the king here that Princess is holding up her side of the bargain with these "lessons" of hers." He glanced at Chiaki and couldn't stifle his amusement. "Chiaki won't have to stretch the truth too much after all. The other guards will only have to take one look at his face and _know_ it's not a lie."

He sighed heavily from sudden troubling thoughts. "Though, I think we'll need to work on all of your acting skills. Chiaki can't go up to the guards blushing and stammering like a young maiden – they'd never take him seriously again. And Princess, you'll have to take the lead in this romance; be sure to really give Chiaki an eyeful of how _well_ you are heeding your father's words and your lessons. There should be no doubt in his mind about what's going on behind closed doors, even if it's just a show for any on _this_ side of such door." He waved away everyone's heavy blushing with a nonchalant gesture of his hand.

"I don't care what you two kids get up to on the other side – play that game board of yours for a couple of hours all you want. I'm just saying that you need to make it look convincing when you're on _this_ side." He winked mischievously. "Hands off the Princess Take-chan when you're on this side; the Princess here is the one who has to convince everyone beyond a shadow of a doubt that _she's_ the one in control."

He crossed his arms over his chest and considered the new couple before him, appearing completely unaware of the awkward atmosphere filling the room. "Then again, if you played it off like you couldn't keep your hands off her when in full view of everyone, it could definitely lead the King to believe you're completely enamored of her, and she's become the excellent little seductress he wants her to be."

"Genta," Takeru warned.

Genta blinked, suddenly remembering where he was and whom he was speaking to. "Sorry," he apologized quickly. "I guess I really do need Ryunosuke around sometimes; I get too carried away otherwise." He shrugged. "But I said nothing less than the truth and gave my honest advice."

Still able to feel the waves of heat from her embarrassment rolling off her Mako nodded, taking in Genta's counsel. "You're right," she conceded. "I will…take your words into consideration."

Genta grinned cheekily at Takeru whose glare was less intimidating when it was coupled with such an intense blush of his own.

Mako breathed in deeply to brace herself before standing and facing Genta head on. "Could you show me?"

Genta's smile faltered. "Show you?"

Mako nodded, blushing prettily. "I either skipped out on my lessons altogether or ignored them when I bothered to attend… I don't know how to do what you suggest."

Genta rubbed at the back of his head. "Well, I'm not entirely sure I know where to begin, and I think Take-chan would kill me in my sleep if I tried."

Mako glanced back at Takeru, her flush rising as she did so, but as their eyes met, an ironclad resolve straightened her spine and halted her nerves. "This is necessary," she explained. "For all of us."

He shrugged before turning to his friend. "Are you okay with that Take-chan?"

Takeru eventually nodded, once and sharply, though from his expression Genta knew he was anything but. Reading Takeru's less than enthusiastic expression, Genta's eyes lit up in delight as an idea occurred.

"I think the best way for you to learn is for you and Take-chan to practice."

Mako blinked in response, not sure what he meant.

Genta slid past Mako and pulled Takeru to his feet, dragging his friend closer until the pair was standing in front of each other.

"Okay Princess, I want you to grab the chain attached to the manacle around Takeru's neck and pull him closer to you."

"…what?"

Genta waved her forward with a reassuring grin.

Chiaki rolled his eyes. "This is ridiculous."

With trembling fingers Mako reached out and grasped the offending chain loosely and gently tugged him forward.

Genta sighed loudly. "Not like that," he schooled her. "Pull him to you like you can't wait another second, like you can't stand to be apart for another minute."

Mako frowned though she was blushing and shook her head. "I don't think I can do that."

"Why not?"

Mako's hand fluttered to her own neck subconsciously. "I know what it feels like to be yanked around by the neck." She winced at the remembered pain.

"Ah, right." Genta managed to look sheepish. He thought for a moment before approaching her and grasping her hands in his, steering her closer to Takeru. Mako trusted him to guide her though she was uncomfortable with Genta touching her. She wasn't used to _any_ physical contact with other people except Kotoha and Ryunosuke, and much more recently, Takeru.

Genta placed Mako's hands on either side of Takeru's face. "Try doing it this way instead."

Mako flushed, releasing Takeru's face as soon as Genta let go of her wrists.

"I never realized you were so innocent Princess," Genta smiled, slightly amused but trying not to scare her off. "You always act so aloof and untouchable around others." He tapped his chin as he thought. "Just try bringing those skills to use here – act like nothing fazes you, that the stares and whispers don't exist."

Mako nodded, realizing what Genta was trying to say and not taking offense at it.

Genta was silent for a long moment as he studied the couple in front of him.

"What is it?" Mako finally asked when she couldn't stand the quiet any longer and had begun to fidget under his stare.

"I think I may have solved one of our problems." He reached out and tugged gently on one of the chains connecting Takeru's wrists. "All these heavy restraints would be sure to leave a mark. I imagine the King wouldn't be too pleased about that."

He met the eyes of the three in the room with him. "He wouldn't want the Princess all bruised up on her wedding night, would he? Especially if those discolorations were to be in very visible places." His grin was impish. "It would be pretty easy for Chiaki to convince the other guards that the Princess is bruising, and if the word spreads far enough, say, to the King's ears, then we can also suggest that there be a key close at hand to unlock the chains when the Princess is feeling particularly, ah, amorous. Then she can carry out her "learning" without fear of marking up her body for her future husband, and we can have the means to give Take-chan a faster pace to run with when you give us the signal to hightail it out of here."

Mako nodded slowly. "That's a good idea actually."

Chiaki snorted. "Yeah, except that there won't _be_ any evidence for me to see."

"Tsk tsk," Genta waved his finger at the younger man as if scolding him. "Mako here is the First Princess. As her guard, you wouldn't be able to see the marks unless she _invited_ you to, if you get my meaning."

Chiaki shot Genta a dirty look.

"I can always fake the bruising," Mako assured him. "It wouldn't be hard; skin bruises so easily." She laughed lightly. "Although, after banging my shins into the furniture enough times, I don't think I could ever hope to be called graceful again."

"See," Genta grinned. "Problem solved."

Chiaki scoffed, annoyed. "It's going to take a miracle to get us all out of here alive at this rate," he muttered to himself, watching in exasperation as Mako faltered and stumbled through Genta's advice.


End file.
